The Facility  Aftermath
by OfficerKennedy
Summary: Sequel to The Facility. Jill Valentine has gone missing and when Chris receives a tip off that she might be in Africa, he and Leon come together once more to find her and finish what they started in Spain. Loosely based on RE5, SLASH in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Notes:- I'm back! Apologies for the long wait, had some laptop issues and had to wait for it to be fixed. Anyways, here's the first chapter of The Facility Aftermath! Set one year after the events of The Facility. Enjoy!

The Facility – Aftermath

Chapter One

Chris Redfield allowed his foot to press down a little harder on the accelerator as his hired Jeep powered down the dusty and desolate road. The sun was high in the air and beating down on the khaki coloured vehicle and even with the air conditioning cranked up the full, he could still feel the stifling heat. The Jeep's radio had given out a few miles back as he'd driven out of the last town. He hoped that the people of Kijuju were a lot friendlier than those last guys. He'd been warned that it wasn't the most ideal place to be an American but he hadn't expected to be looked upon with such hatred. He'd gotten the hell out of there as quickly as possible.

Without the radio, Chris was forced to look to his immediate surroundings for a distraction from the blistering midday heat. Unfortunately for him the scenery was pretty dull. The ground was a muted palette of beiges and browns, the cracked baked earth scattered with dry yellowed scrub bushes reaching towards the clear blue sky. The trees that dotted the landscape were short and stunted, the dull green foliage hanging limply from the spider like branches.

It would've been all too easy for him to simply turn the damn Jeep around and head back to the airport and civilisation as he knew it but he needed to remind himself why he was here.

Jill.

He'd returned from Spain in high spirits, having secured the greatly needed funding for the BSAA. One of the first things that he'd done was go over to Barry's house to tell him all about his Spanish adventures. He'd been met at the front door by hushed tones and a grave expression from his former S.T.A.R.S colleague. While Chris had been away, something terrible had happened to Jill. She'd been working on some run of the mill case in Chicago when she'd suddenly disappeared. She'd been in regular contact with Barry and her boyfriend, Carlos Oliviera but after a week the phone calls and e-mails dried up. Worried, Carlos had flown to Chicago and searched her last known whereabouts only to come up with nothing. The local police had gotten involved and even they had failed to find any trace of her. By the time Chris returned from Spain she'd been missing for weeks. Chris threw himself into the search and those weeks had turned into months. Before he knew it, it had been a year since her disappearance. Barry, Carlos and the rest of Jill's family were beginning to come to terms with the fact that by now, she was probably dead.

Chris however, refused to believe that his resourceful former partner had succumbed to that fate. If anything, his searching intensified and he'd made a few phone calls to Leon, begging the younger man to use his position in the government to help. Then last week, out of nowhere, the BSAA received an anonymous tip-off that Jill had been sighted in a small town in West Africa. Barry had been suspicious about the tip off but, as far as Chris was concerned, it was information and he was damned if he was going to let it go cold. So here he was, with Barry's reluctant backing, chasing down a rumour.

The view didn't improve much as he drove into the village. The terrain of the roads remained bumpy and uneven, the dust rising in clouds as the tires rolled onwards. The only colour came from the various metal signs hanging above wooden stalls and corrugated sheet metal doorways. With the Jeep windows rolled down he was assaulted by the mixture of smells within the air, there was a strong smell of manure, doubtless provided by the livestock that had been herded into makeshift cages made from chicken wire that lined the street. Coupled with that was the choking smell of death emanating from the corpses of goats that were hanging from some of the stalls. Villagers milled around the street, the women carrying large pots of water on their heads, the men strolling idly by, staring as the Jeep rolled past them. Chris felt uneasy as he pulled over. He'd been told to meet his contact at a local butcher's. He pulled up beside a battered looking building that appeared to be a street café. The villagers were staring at him openly now, some of them actually slowing down to gape at him as he got out of the Jeep. He had a quick look around and couldn't see anyone who was likely to be his contact. He leant against the driver's door, immediately regretting it when the hot metal stung his back through his BSAA t-shirt.

"The sun does have a tendency to do that," A familiar voice mocked.

"Where the hell did you come from"? Chris asked, his mouth hanging open as Leon Kennedy came out of the entrance to the café, a bottle of water in his hand. He looked a little different than the last time they'd met. His blonde hair was now a couple of shades darker and slightly shorter but still in that silly floppy style that, if he was honest, had always thought looked dumb. He was dressed in desert camo style combats and a fitted light grey top.

"America"? Leon replied with a raised eyebrow. "I do live there now remember?" He took a sip from the bottle of water. "How've you been anyway"? His face formed that concerned, gentle look that Chris had come to accept that he would receive from people who'd heard about Jill.

"Yeah" Chris nodded, about to lean against the Jeep once more before remembering. "I guess I dropped off the map after…" Chris' voice tailed off. He hated to say her name, even now. Leon seemed to understand this and nodded, a sympathetic look crossing his features. "So what brings you here anyway"? Chris asked, eager to change the subject in the ensuing uncomfortable silence. "Did Barry ask you to help? Didn't think the government would let you track down a simple case of a missing person" He continued, a slight hint of bitterness to his voice.

"They wouldn't" Leon replied simply with a shrug. "It's not why I'm here. Although, I think that Jill's disappearance has more to do with my mission that what people are willing to consider"

"Huh"? Chris blinked and looked blank. He'd forgotten how much Leon liked to talk in complicated sentences. Was it a prerequisite for Secret Service agents to be so damn enigmatic? Leon rolled his eyes and shook his head. In spite of the serious situation surrounding their reunion, Chris couldn't help but smile a little. It was almost beginning to feel just like old times back in Spain.

"Why don't you let me explain you impatient oaf"? Leon handed Chris the bottle of water. Chris gulped from it gratefully, the water dribbling down the front of his BSAA top. Leon raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, instead choosing to offer his explanation. "We received intelligence that Wesker has been conducting experiments near this village," The younger man continued. "Whether or not he's created a new facility is still in doubt. But don't you think, given the former S.T.A.R.S history with Wesker that it's a little bit too much of a coincidence that at the same time you receive information about Jill being here, we receive information that Wesker's here too"?

Chris squeezed the water bottle hard, ignoring the powerful spurt of water that exploded from the open neck, narrowly missing Leon. Wesker. Why hadn't he thought of the evil bastard before? It made perfect sense. Capturing Jill was the sort of sick, twisted thing he'd do.

"I take it you won't argue if I say we should work together on this one"? Leon asked. He was looking around, a wary expression on his face. The villagers were still openly staring at both of them, whispering to each other in their own language in low, dangerous tones. They hung around in the shady corners between buildings, gesturing to each other. There was an unsettling air of hostility hanging around them that made Chris feel distinctly uneasy.

"Sounds good to me" He replied. He opened the Jeep's trunk and grabbed his pack. It was a basic backpack containing everything he'd need for a small camp, including a bedroll. He quickly shouldered it, wondering why Leon didn't have a similar set up.

"I'm supposed to be meeting a contact from the West African BSAA around here," Chris added, rummaging in the pocket of his combats for his PDA. He tapped a few buttons, looking for the right memo. "There should be a butcher's in this village. That's where they'll be. They'll be giving me a basic load-out but I'm not sure if they'll be any surplus for you" He said.

"Don't worry about it" Leon replied. "I've got a couple of useful items concealed," He muttered. Chris looked him up and down, wondering where the hell he had the aforementioned 'useful items' concealed. He figured that it was probably better not to ask. The two of them set off, keeping an eye out for the butcher's shop. Leon didn't say as much but Chris figured they were both thinking the same thing about the impossibility of asking the locals for directions. It was a little odd to be back with him but definitely not unpleasant. He wondered if Leon felt the same. As quickly as the thought came to him, he dismissed it. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about his relationship, or lack thereof, with Leon. This was all about Jill.

They walked onwards; passing various stalls and huts, most of the signage written in what was presumably the native language. Chris grimaced as he stepped over the rotting corpse of a dead goat; a small army of flies buzzing round it. His pack was heavy on his back and his skin was becoming slippery with sweat. The BSAA uniform was designed to allow skin to breathe as much as possible but it didn't seem to be able to stand up to the African heat. As they approached what appeared to be a linen stall, they saw a group of three young men kicking a large burlap sack between them. The sack was long and slim and looked like it could easily a house a person. The men were kicking it viciously, putting all their power into each kick. They were shouting to each other enthusiastically as the sack started twitching and writhing. For a brief moment Chris considered that it could well be Jill in the sack before quickly admonishing himself. He supposed that he'd gotten a little crazy in his searches and although it had been tempting to go back to the drink he knew he needed to keep a clear head if he was ever going to find his friend. He and Leon walked past the trio, trying hard not to look, a silent agreement passing between them that at this stage, it was best to avoid any conflict and confrontation. Chris however, couldn't help but flinch as one of the men suddenly took a hatchet from the back of his ragged trousers and slammed it violently into the sack. Almost immediately the movement within the sack stopped. As if on cue, the three men raised their heads and unashamedly began to eyeball both of them, their stares almost a warning.

They hurried onwards, Chris wondering if Leon felt as uneasy as he did right now. The younger man certainly didn't look it, probably something to do with his intensive training as a Secret Service agent. Chris found it strange that after returning to America, he found himself actually missing Leon quite a bit. There were times on his searches for Jill that he'd really wished Leon had been there at his side if only to make the whole journey less lonely. They'd swapped contact details before Chris had left Spain but hadn't really had that much contact apart from the odd e-mail. Despite the nightmarish circumstances of their reunion, Chris was actually glad to see him.

"I think we've found your meeting point" Leon's voice dragged him away from his thoughts. The younger man was pointing towards a building just ahead of them that had various meats hanging from steel hooks in the dirty window.

"There should be a side door" Chris replied as they walked towards it. A few minutes ago Chris could've murdered a nice thick steak but the sight of the dubious looking meat had put him off completely. They walked down the side of the building, sticking close to the whitewashed wall. Some of the paint had peeled away revealing a yellow sandstone core underneath. More disconcertingly were the reddish streaks across it that were either paint or dried blood. The side door itself had also seen better days. Made of heavily scratched steel, it was painted red and when Chris laid a hand on it, it was burning hot. He hissed in pain and Leon sighed heavily before pushing it open with his shoulder. It opened slowly with a loud creak, drawing suspicious looks from some of the villagers that were loitering nearby.

The room inside was, at least, shady. That however was the only positive thing, which Chris could draw from stepping inside. They were assaulted by a pungent rotting smell mixed in with faeces and, judging by the stains on the stone floor, had obviously been used as some sort of holding area come abattoir for the butcher's. There was a large stone table in the middle of the room with a large, rusted butcher's knife lying atop it. Dried blood was streaked across the table top with rivulets that had run down the sides. The walls were lined with a series of rickety looking wooden cupboards and in the nearest corner was a large hefty looking post with a thick rope coiled around it, obviously for tying down the animals that were to be slaughtered. In the back corner of the room, looking somewhat out of place amongst the old furnishings was a walk in fridge. It had been left open by the last occupant and had obviously been allowed to defrost, judging by the disgusting smell that was emanating from it. Chris could hear the distinctive buzzing of a swarm of flies coming from inside of it and hoped that he wouldn't have to find out what it was that they were feasting on. There was a small cough and it was then that Chris noticed a woman leaning against a low shelving unit, a short distance away from the fridge. She was tall and lean, her midnight black hair tied into a neat ponytail. She was dressed in tight tan coloured trousers and a purple vest. Long, brown leather gloves adorned her hands and arms, stopping just before her elbows. They matched the brown leather boots that were on her feet. In the gloom, Chris could just make out a tribal tattoo on her right arm. She smiled at them, seemingly impervious to the smell coming from the fridge. Atop the shelving unit was a large metal attaché case. She smiled at the two of them.

"You get used to the smell." She spoke softly yet confidently in a South African accent.

"I sincerely hope not," Leon replied as they approached her. He held out his hand and nodded at her. "Leon Kennedy. I'm tagging along with Chris here."

"Sheva Alomar." The woman said as she shook Leon's hand. She turned to shake Chris' "And you must be Chris Redfield, North American branch," She smiled curtly and continued. "I have your weapons," She nodded towards the attaché case that appeared to be locked with a combination lock. "You can't be too careful around here. Although I'm sure you've worked that out already. The combination is 2236."

Leon smirked at this but didn't explain why. Chris fiddled with the lock and opened the case to reveal an array of weapons packed into black Styrofoam inserts. Chris dumped his pack before pulling out a gun belt and tossed the spare to Leon who caught it with ease. The case contained the BSAA standard issue 9mm handgun and four clips as well as a shotgun and 12 extra shells. There was also an upper body harness to hold the shotgun and some grenades, which were also in the case. He clipped a radio onto his left shoulder and clipped a wireless blue tooth headset complete with mic into his ear. He turned to face Leon who had strapped the spare gun belt around his waist and was in the process of pulling a thigh holster out of one of the pockets of his combats. He strapped it on and holstered his handgun into it before holstering a magnum around his waist. Chris noted with interest that it was the same magnum he'd had back in Spain.

"Forty magnum rounds and fifty for the handgun." Leon said, loading up the pouches on his belt from his pockets. Chris opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by a tinny crackling from Sheva's radio. She cursed in her native tongue and withdrew something from the pocket of her trousers.

"I've marked out a route on this map of the local area," She explained, handing Chris the map. "It leads to a safe house where we can meet up" She fiddled with her radio. "I'd like to escort you but I need to move ahead quickly. Alpha Team were supposed to be radioing from Checkpoint A but they're twenty minutes overdue." She made for the door.

"Wait"! Leon called out. "If you think something's gone wrong we should go with you," He added firmly. He looked over at Chris who nodded in agreement. Sheva however, was already shaking her head.

"You'll only slow me down." She replied adamantly. Without waiting for further arguments from either man, she ran off. Leon snorted as the steel door slammed shut behind her.

"Women…" He muttered. "So how far are we away from this safe house"?

"It's just through the village," Chris replied, studying the hastily drawn map in his hands. "Shouldn't take us too long to get there if we head straight through the main village area."

"Probably not such a great idea." Leon said, pointing towards the window. Chris peered through the smeared glass and saw that a large crowd of villagers had begun to gather around what looked like a wooden stage just a short distance away from the butchery. The crowd seemed roused and excitable, chattering and chanting away and occasionally letting out a cheer. Chris watched with unease as a villager dressed in jeans and checked shirt strutted onto the stage. He was wearing dark sunglasses and carrying a battered megaphone. Leon joined him by the window as the villager raised the megaphone to his lips and started to shout into it. The cheering and chanting grew louder and louder and eventually reached a crescendo as an abnormally large man wandered onto the stage. He was dressed in long black and brown robes that looked hastily stitched together. He was slightly stooped with an almost hump-like protrusion on his back. A black burlap sack covered his head and, more frighteningly, he was carrying a huge axe, the tip of which was crusted with dried blood. Chris watched with horror as two more villagers joined the stage holding tightly onto a struggling Sheva. She was screaming at the men, presumably pleading with them to release her. Chris' fingers curled around the handgun on his gun belt. He moved away from the window and before he could reach the door, a hand clamped down hard on his left shoulder.

"Don't be so stupid" Leon said harshly. "You'll get yourself killed! There's too many of them."

Chris shrugged Leon's hand off easily, shaking his head.

"I can't just let them kill her"! He shot back. He glared at Leon, daring the younger man to keep arguing. Since his increase in size and muscle mass, Chris had found that people were willing to argue with him less and less. Leon however looked back at him calmly. It appeared that he would dare.

"You're going to have to," He replied coolly. "There's nothing we can do. If you go out there guns blazing we'll be outnumbered before we know it. Would you just think for a change? You're not going to be much use to Jill if you're dead"!

Chris knew Leon had a point. There were far too many villagers out there for them to even try and take on. They'd run out of ammo when they were halfway through and then they'd be screwed. The calm look on Leon's face seemed to have a calming effect on Chris too. He hated the idea of standing by and letting Sheva die but they had no other option. They continued to stare at each other, as the crowd grew silent before the air was filled with a horrible, blood-curdling scream, which Chris sincerely hoped he would never have to hear again. If Leon was affected by the scream and the obvious meaning behind it, he didn't show it. He continued to stare levelly at Chris with barely a flicker of emotion. A few seconds passed before he spoke.

"We need to get moving."

Chris nodded and the two of them quickly located a back door that appeared to lead to a side street. The crowd in the square didn't seem to be a hurry to disperse so it looked like they were going to have a take a longer route and stick to the shadows. They readied their guns and stepped out into the street, ready for anything that might try to spring an attack on them.

"I don't know how you do it," Chris said quietly as they made their way down the narrow street. "Show no emotion like that." He explained. He could hear the chatter of the crowd and couldn't work out whether it was getting louder or not.

"You have to." Leon replied, leaning against a hut as they came up to a corner. He nodded at Chris to go first. As Chris stepped round the corner, Leon covered him. Finding no one down the next street, they continued on. "Doesn't mean I don't care."

Chris was about to reply when a metallic rattling cut him off. There was a woman standing the other side of the barbed wire fence at the bottom of the street. Just to the left of the fence was a door but apart from that, it seemed like they'd come to a dead end. As soon as the woman saw them she let out a loud cry. She took an inhuman leap and clung onto the barbed wire fence. As she climbed it and went over the top, the barbs from the wire tore into her legs. She didn't seem to notice as the tears started to bleed. She jumped from the top and landed a few feet away.

"Shit." Leon cursed as she started to advance on them. Chris could hear shouts and calls, obviously in a response to her cry. The woman started to draw a hatchet from a sack tied around her waist but before she could get it out Leon fired one well-aimed magnum shot that hit her directly in the forehead. With one final cry, she dropped to the dusty ground, convulsing for a few seconds before she finally lay still.

"More are gonna come." Chris said, looking for a possible escape. They could go for the door but there was no guarantee it wasn't another dead end. Climbing over the fence was also an option but he didn't fancy ripping his own legs to shreds on the barbed wire.

"We're going to have to go back." Leon replied, almost as if he was reading Chris' mind. Chris' radio suddenly crackled into life almost making him a jump. He fiddled with the tuning knob until the voice came through clearer.

"Redfield, Redfield do you copy"? An unfamiliar voice demanded.

"Redfield receiving. Pass your message." Chris replied into his headset. Leon was watching him hopefully. It was about time they came across a little luck. The radio crackled for a few more seconds before the voice came back, loud and clear.

"This is Kirk from Alpha Team. We'll be at your location in fifteen minutes. Hold up at the base over."

"Received," Chris answered. "It appears the locals are hostile."

"Do what you need to do until we get there. We're bringing in a chopper." Kirk replied before the radio cut out. Chris glanced at Leon who was looking over his shoulder. The voices of the villagers were getting closer. They need to move.

"Maybe we should hole up in the butcher's" Chris suggested as they ran back down the street back towards the main square. "We'll stand a better chance of watching all our directions that way."

"Sounds good to me." Leon said, picking up his pace a little. They ran for the butcher's shop, looking out for villagers as they went. They reached the steel door quickly and Leon wrenched it open before hurrying inside. Chris was about to follow suit when something suddenly yanked him backwards by the cord of his pack. Without turning round to see what it was, he quickly shrugged his shoulders out of the straps and ran for the door, slamming it closed behind him. Leon helped him push one of the wooden shelving units up against it. They turned to regard each other, slightly breathless from their quick run.

"So is this your thing then"? Leon asked with a slight smirk in spite of the situation. "Losing your bags"?

"What the hell are you talking about"? Chris looked at the younger man with confusion. He wasn't entirely used to this more chilled out Leon. He was always waiting for him to make some kind of acidic comment or give him a snotty look like he had when they'd worked together in Spain. Obviously it was an improvement but still, ever so slightly unnerving.

"Well you lost your bag in Spain didn't you"? He pointed out as he calmly shifted another one of the wooden cabinets so that it was blocking a window. Chris rolled his eyes at his partner.

"God, do you remember everything"? He asked wearily. Leon merely snorted at him. The two of them moved into one of the corners, giving them as much of a view of the room as possible. They could hear footsteps outside and whispered voices as well as shouts from further away. Leon's little joke had eased the tension a little but now it had come back even worse than before. It took Chris back to the nightmare in the Spencer Mansion, wandering down those seemingly endless corridors and hallways, not knowing what you were going to find behind the next door or what might be chasing you in the shadows. He wondered if Leon was having similar flashbacks to running through the infected city.

A heavy pounding on the door made them both raise their guns. The voices grew louder and louder as more and more of the villagers cottoned on to their location. The butchery had become stiflingly hot now and Chris could feel the sweat trickling down his back. He hated this waiting. He was always so proactive and it felt like he was almost hiding away like some scared kid. He knew he couldn't just run out there and open fire but he hated it all the same. There was a sudden creaking noise followed by the wooden cabinet breaking into pieces as the steel door was rammed open. Three villagers spilled in through the now open doorway, hatchets and knives raised, ready to strike. Less than a second later, one of them was on the floor, taken down with a quick headshot from Leon's handgun. Chris followed suit, flooring the other two. Their weapons clattered to the ground but were picked up instantly by more villagers who scurried through the door. These were different to the slow, lumbering zombies that Chris was used to. It was like they were entirely human…just…possessed.

"Shit"! He heard Leon's cry as the window smashed and more of them poured in from the opposite side. Wordlessly, the two of them took a different direction, Chris dealing with the guys at the door, Leon dealing with the ones at the window. Chris ears hummed with the constant sound of gunfire as the villagers screamed in pain before dropping like flies.

"Makes you miss zombies huh."? He called out as Leon dodged a wine bottle aimed at his head, taking the attacker down with another well-aimed bullet. "They're not acting like any zombies I've ever seen," He added.

"Cover me, I need to reload"! Leon ordered as he felled two more of the creatures. Chris turned his attention to the window as Leon slapped another clip in his handgun. The horde showed no signs of slowing down. More and more of them kept running into the room, their shouts becoming louder and more intense. Leon narrowly missed taking a wine bottle to the head and Chris nearly felt a woman's hatchet in his chest. The marauding villagers kept on coming, seemingly in endless waves, and now they were having to climb over the piles of fallen attackers that lay in front of them to get to their victims. Leon absently noted that they showed no regard for each other as one sandled foot was planted on the dead face of another, who had dropped only moments before, as if it were a stepping-stone.

A loud crash echoed throughout the small room. Both men were showered in brick dust and dirt as one of the walls collapsed in front of their very eyes. The villagers stopped in their tracks as the axe-wielding giant stood in the gap where the wall had just been mere seconds ago. Now they were up close and personal, Chris could see how terrifying it looked. He was a clear two feet taller than either of them with thick limbs and an even thicker torso. An executioner's black hood was hiding his head and face and he was wearing a ragged grey leather apron. The most disconcerting thing about him was the hordes of thick nails that seemed to be stuck into the top half of his body. The axe he was carrying looked just as mean, a thick wooden handle ending in a large, block shaped axe with rusty chains hanging from the end. It was smeared with a garish mixture of dried and flesh blood. Chris felt a new wave of nausea hit his stomach when he realised whom that fresh blood had once belonged to.

"Move"! Leon shouted as the Executioner raised its fearsome weapon. Chris felt Leon grab hold of his shoulder and pull him towards the door. Chris snapped into action quickly, taking down the villagers that blocked their way out of the building. They ran quickly into the street that was strangely quiet after all the hectic activity back in the butcher's. They heard an earth shattering clunk as the axe obviously hit the floor of the building. "This way"! Leon commanded, pointing towards the main square. It made sense to take advantage of the sudden quietness and take the quickest route out of the village. According to Sheva's map, they need to leave the village via some large, grey steel gates. Chris could seem them in the distance, looming towards them promisingly as they ran. He could hear the villagers once more as they frantically searched for them. There was one of them standing near the gates on the roof of a nearby building. He had a megaphone in his hands and as he spotted them, raised it to his lips.

"Oh no you don't asshat"! Chris raised his handgun and, with the skills that made him the highest ranked marksman in S.T.A.R.S, took the guy out with a headshot.

"Impressive" Leon said, somewhat breathlessly. "Think you can get those gates open"?

"Of course I can!" Chris replied simply. Which was true, he could get those gates open, he just needed to work out how exactly. It looked like they were the sort that slid open. Chris grabbed the large metal handle on the side of the gate and started to pull with all his might. When the gates refused to shift he turned round to Leon and nodded in what he hoped was an official and professional looking manner. "Yeah, they're locked." He said with no trace of embarrassment or sheepishness. He stood instead with his hands on his hips, appearing, hopefully at least, to be in charge of assessing the situation.

"Leave that to us guys!" Chris' radio crackled to life once more and Kirk's cheerful voice came through. In the midst of the attack and the subsequent quick escape, Chris had failed to hear the distant sounds of a chopper approaching them. Turning his attentions to the sky he could see the black blur moving towards them quickly.

"Right on time" Chris replied. "Looks like the locals are a bunch of asshats who don't take kindly to us being here." He grinned at Leon who rolled his eyes. The younger man was keeping his gun raised at all times, on his guard for any stray villagers that might've worked out their location.

"Take cover guys, gonna be a big one"! Kirk answered.

"Don't even say it Christopher." Leon said before Chris could open his mouth. Grabbing hold of him once more, Leon pulled Chris into a small stone building that looked like it had been used as a storage room. There were a few wooden crates inside as well as an old, cracked, stone trough, full of fetid water. They crouched inside and waited for the inevitable explosion as the chopper blasted the gates open.

"I've just worked out what you are," Chris said as they crouched, shoulder to shoulder in the confined space. "Claire always used to say that two people in a partnership fall into two separate roles. The silly one and the police officer. The silly one does all the cool stuff like beating up the bad guys and says the awesome one-liners whilst still having a sense of humour whereas the police officer is all serious and careful and tells the silly one off. And you know what else? It works out great because you used to BE a police officer"! Chris grinned triumphantly, feeling like he'd just hit the nail right on the head. He'd always thought his sister's people theories were bullshit so it was actually quite funny to see one of them actually working out. Leon didn't seem to think so.

"Only for one day" Leon corrected him. "And I have to be the serious one otherwise we'd be dead."

"Yeah but still. Police officer" Chris reiterated as if that settled the argument. He smirked smugly and barely jumped when a small explosion caused the ground beneath them to tremble slightly.

"All clear guys." Kirk's voice returned. "We'll meet you at the rendezvous. Stay safe."

As Chris and Leon came out of the stone building they saw the chopper disappearing into the distance. The steel gates were now a warped and twisted mass of metal, the ground around them smoking. There were no signs of any villagers. If any had been around they'd probably been scared away by the explosion. Chris breathed a huge sigh of relief and consulted the map.

"There's an industrial area about a mile away which is near a waterfront," He said, speaking more to himself as he thought it through. Leon however, was nodding and tapping away at his PDA.

"Sounds about right" He replied. "Our intelligence believes that Wesker has a facility that's a few miles up the river past some ancient ruins. We'll need a boat to get up there so the waterfront would be a good place to start"

"Let's go then" Chris folded the map away. "Partner"!

"Not that again…"

END OF CHAPTER ONE!


	2. Chapter 2

Notes:- Chapter two here for you! Many thanks to YaoiGirly, DamonWesker and Not nameless for your reviews! In answer to DamonWesker's question, it's a sort of re-telling of RE5 but goes off in another direction later on. I don't want to spoil it by saying any more but it's definitely a shorter version of RE5! : )

The Facility Aftermath – Chapter Two

"We've passed that building already"

Leon muttered under his breath as Chris' slightly whining tone broke their silence once more. Ever since they'd hurried through the gates, they'd been trapped in what seemed like a never-ending maze of back streets and alleyways. The buildings, according to Chris at least, all looked the same and from the amount of turning and weaving they'd done through the streets it would be hard to tell if you'd been going round and round in circles or not. Leon took much more pride in his sense of direction than that. He was leading the way, his gun readied in case any of the villagers jumped out on them. They were acting like nothing he'd ever seen before, including the freaks in Raccoon. They moved fast and appeared to have inhuman like strength, the only possible solution for these attributes was that they'd been tested on with what was most like the Plagas virus he'd read about in the files he'd downloaded from Wesker's facility in Spain. It made him sick to his stomach to think that these poor innocent people had had their humanity stolen by some power-crazed psycho.

There was, however, something else at the forefront of his mind. He hadn't had much contact with Chris since Spain, just the odd e-mail or phone call and it had taken him aback to see how much the older man had changed. It wasn't a physical thing, Chris looked exactly same in that respect, it was something else…something less tangible. Leon thought back to the early days of their relationship when Chris had seemed to be nothing but a witless goon. He had, of course, had many more layers to his personality than that but Leon had never seen him look so…troubled, he supposed the word was. Chris was being as silly and quip ridden as he'd ever been but there was something off about it, almost as if it was forced. That sort of behaviour seemed strange coming from Chris, as he was someone Leon had always thought was so in tune with his feelings. If he was happy he would say so, if he was pissed off he would say so. There was no complicated enigmatic façade with the guy and it was worrying to see him put on what was most likely a front. Normally Leon would let him get on with it until he either exploded in a fit of rage or until the mission was over and they could go their separate ways. That would be easy if Chris was just some other guy that Leon had been landed with. Unfortunately for Leon, the absence of Chris in his life hadn't done anything to extinguish his feelings for him. He wanted to say that he no longer felt for the older man but he'd gone through the whole denial phase once before and was in no hurry to repeat it. He heard Chris sigh heavily and braced himself for yet another childish onslaught.

"Do you think Jill's even still alive"?

The question came as a surprise, putting him on the back foot and catching him off guard. Chris' tone was serious, intense and yet somehow resigned as if he'd already made up his mind. It was so different to the Chris Redfield that Leon thought he knew. His brown eyes were tinged with an uncharacteristic sadness.

"I mean, look what they did to Sheva…" Chris continued. "There's no reason they wouldn't do the same thing to Jill…damn animals"! He spat, kicking out at a nearby oil drum so hard that it made a loud clanging noise. "She's been gone for so long for all we know we're chasing a fucking ghost" He snorted. "It's what Barry seems to think so. He hasn't said so but I know he's given up. Carlos too and he's supposed to love her"!

"Doubtful" Leon replied adamantly. "Remember, the sighting of her was recent. If they were going to just execute her they would've done that a year ago" He had a horrible feeling that he knew what had happened to Jill but there was no way in hell he was going to say so.

"I guess you're right" Chris said quietly. "Let's find her then" He added with renewed vigour. Leon nodded but couldn't help but wonder if it was genuine or whether the older man was just trying to dodge his feelings. As they'd been walking along, the residential looking buildings and shop fronts were less and less and, more imposing featureless buildings had taken their place. Power lines criss-crossed over their heads, attached to rusted fuse boxes and transformers. They turned left and the end of the street and found themselves in an alleyway lined by chain link fences. Just like the ones in the village, they were topped with nasty looking barbed wire. Leon winced when he remembered the woman's legs, torn open by the vicious spikes. It was hard to tell whether or not they had reached the source of the village's power supply or whether it was something else entirely. It had been awfully quiet for a long time now and Leon was beginning to become suspicious. His fingers twitched on his handgun, ready for a surprise attack. Chris' radio crackled, starling him slightly. Kirk's frantic voice followed shortly afterwards.

"Redfield…Kennedy…rendezvous location breached…." He was shouting, his sentences broken up by back interference so that they were only getting the odd word. "Chopper going down…he's attacking…SHIT"!

Just as quickly as it had come to life, the noise over the radio died. Chris fiddled with the dials, trying to get a better reception, only to be greeted by the continuing silence. In the distance they heard the distinctive, yet muffled sound of an explosion. They looked at each other briefly before looking away, knowing full well what had happened to cause that particular sound. Chris frowned, his expression growing more determined. Leon knew that the deaths of his fellow BSAA members were getting to him. In his Secret Service training, he'd been taught quite harshly that there would be casualties during missions and that they needed to accept this and move on. He'd always hated the thought of being so hardened towards death that the loss of an innocent life wouldn't bother him but the more he'd worked for the Secret Service, the more he realised that, as hard as it was, it was something he had to get used to. He'd seen colleagues die in the most horrible and painful ways and he'd had to work past it to see the mission through to the end. He knew he was going to have to do the exact same thing here but also, to try and keep Chris focussed as well. If Chris lost his focus, they were both dead. A large grey building loomed at the end of the confined alley. There were a few small barred windows and a couple of large chimneystacks sat atop it. There were a couple of worn yellow and black hazard warning signs and a large sign down one side of the building that presumably explained what it was or had the company's name on it. It was the sort of building that wouldn't look out of place on an industrial site or abandoned business park. Judging by the streaks of rust stains that ran down from the water pipes and the cracked glass panes of the windows, the building hadn't been in use for a long time. The only thing that was blocking their way was a heavy steel door painted with yellow and black stripes at the end of the alleyway. Beyond that, they could clearly see the grey steel door that led into the building. Constantly on the lookout, they ran for the first door, which on closer inspection was locked tight with a thick chain and sturdy padlock.

"Doesn't look like that's going to move" Leon said, fiddling with the weighty padlock before letting it drop back against the door.

"It's not that high, we could climb over it" Chris suggested. The fence at either side was topped with the brutal barbed wire but, luckily for them, the door wasn't.

"Give me a boost" Leon ordered. Chris nodded and laced his fingers together, creating a little platform out of his hands. Leon stepped in and Chris heaved him up. Leon grabbed onto the top of the doorframe and hauled himself up and over. He landed gracefully on the balls of his feet. "Need any help"?

"Hey, this is Chris Redfield you're talking about" Chris smirked at him, backing off for a few paces before taking a running jump at the door. He grabbed hold of the top of the doorframe just as Leon had and pulled himself up before leaping down, landing heavily on flat feet. Leon gave a sympathetic wince as he landed.

"Did that not hurt"? He asked.

"Not at all" Chris said through gritted teeth. Leon raised an eyebrow and looked at the older man doubtfully.

"Would you like me to turn away so you can react accordingly"? He offered. Chris nodded gratefully. Leon smirked and turned away from his partner. He did however, glance over his shoulder for a brief moment and saw Chris hopping about and mouthing various obscenities. As ridiculous as Chris looked, it was nice to see him acting a bit more like his old self. "Ready"?

"Let's go" Chris said, perfectly calmly. They walked over to the grey steel door, Chris backing up against the wall, his gun raised. Leon kicked the door and it swung inwards, opening with a creak. They entered as slowly and quietly as possible, ready for a surprise attack. The door lead into a narrow empty corridor. It was stacked ceiling high with pallets down one side of it and smelt faintly of old machine oil. The walls were the same grey concrete as the outside of the building and the grey stone floor was spattered with oil and general grime. A few metres ahead of them they could see that the corridor forked to the right, a blind corner. Keeping their weapons drawn, they made their way towards the end of the corridor. It loomed closer and closer, their bodies tense and primed for a surprise attack. Leon opened his mouth to say something but was cut off when a man dressed in khaki tactical gear flew into view from around the corner. His body hit the wall and he slumped down slowly, leaving a gruesome bloody smear on the concrete wall. The body hit the floor and slumped forward. A pool of blood started to rapidly spread across the floor. Judging by the state of him, he'd been dead before he hit the wall.

"Shit"! Chris exclaimed.

"Ssh"! Leon hissed, nodding towards the corner. "Whatever killed him might still be round there," He added in a harsh whisper. Chris nodded and started to advance on the corner. Leon followed, swapping his handgun for his magnum. The rounded the corner slowly, confused when all they found was yet another corridor, stretching down the length of the building before ending with a lift shaft. Leon stood, keeping watch whilst Chris knelt down to examine the man's body.

"Alpha Team" Chris muttered, studying the man's dog tags that were still slung round his neck. "I didn't know him" He was silent as he looked over the body, running his hands over him to try and find the source of the blood. "He's got holes in his torso" He said grimly. "They've gone straight through his Kevlar vest…"

"Gotta be powerful to get through one of those" Leon replied, not taking his eyes of the lift in front of them. "I don't understand how we didn't hear anything," He said over his shoulder. "If he'd been attacked on a different floor and used the lift we would've heard it"

"So whatever attacked him, did it on this floor then…" Chris checked the fallen Alpha's gun. It was completely empty and he wasn't carrying any extra clips.

"Got away silently" Leon finished for him. "Of course the other theory is that whatever attacked him is still around here somewhere, hiding"

Chris stood up and looked upwards towards the ceiling. There were no vents or obvious gaps. The only possible place that something could be hiding was the lift itself. The bottom half of the lift carriage was obscured by a piece of sheet metal adorned with some more of the warning signs they'd seen on the outside of the building.

"I'll go, back me up," Leon said, creeping forwards as silently as possible. He held his breath, as he got closer towards the carriage. He could barely hear Chris' footsteps behind him, proof at least, that he was hopeless when it came to being stealthy. Keeping his magnum trained on the carriage Leon got close enough to take a look. He breathed out when he saw that it was, like the corridor, empty. He turned to Chris and shook his head. Chris looked confused and shrugged.

"Looks like there's no way else to go but down" he suggested. He lowered his gun and hurried to the lift carriage, following Leon in. "I don't like this at all" He added as Leon pressed the lift's button.

"That's good because I'm loving it" Leon replied sarcastically with a roll of his eyes. The lift started to descend, rattling and juddering as it moved slowly downwards. "Do you think we'll ever get the opportunity to get together in more normal circumstances"? He asked, expecting some kind of goofy reply. It came as a shock when a dark look crossed Chris' features.

"Only when Wesker's dead" The older man spat. He didn't offer anything else and Leon didn't want to push him so he kept quiet. It seemed like there was a rich history between Chris and Albert Wesker. Much more than Chris himself had told him. He wondered briefly if he would ever find out the whole story. He wondered if he even wanted to know it.

The lift stopped suddenly, the doors creaking open and revealing another corridor, narrower than the one on the previous floor. Leon heard Chris' sharp intake of breath when he caught sight of the bodies of other Alpha team members, littered down the corridor like gruesome rag dolls left behind when their owner had tired of playing with them. The floor was streaked with slicks of blood leading to the pools seeping out from underneath the bodies. The blood was splashed up the walls, spattered on the thick heavy pipes that ran the length of the ceiling. The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, thick power cables drooping down in arcs against the walls. By the looks of it, Leon guessed that it was a maintenance passage of some sort. The smell of the blood was drowned out by the unmistakable stench of smouldering. Whatever had been burnt had obviously not been vented, so the noxious fumes still lingered in the air. Coupled with this smell was a low and distant hissing. Behind him, Leon heard Chris swap his handgun for his shotgun, obviously uneasy. They wordlessly moved along the corridor slowly, picking their way through the mangled corpses. Leon noted, with little humour, how he'd become desensitised to such horrific sights. His mind took him back to the sewers underneath Raccoon City when he'd been confronted with the sight of butchered corpses floating in the murky waters. He'd been shocked to his very core by the sight and had fought to keep the contents of his stomach under control. He'd been confused and unnerved, wondering what the hell had caused such brutal murders. Although he was wondering the very same thing right now, it was different. He knew that whoever or whatever had murdered the Alpha Team would soon be confronting them and it was that feeling, he noted with bitterness, that shouldn't feel so normal.

The end of the corridor opened out into a much wider space. To their left was an upended skip with tractor tires and sandbags spilling out of it. In the right hand corner was another large stack of shipping pallets. The hissing was louder now and seemed to be coming from an off-shoot to their left that lead to another blind corner. In front of them was another heavy steel door, painted red with symbols and writing scratched into it. The walls were lined with extraction units and large fans which served to send the burning smell in their direction. Chris moved forward first, heading straight for the door. He reached out for the handle and Leon could see how sweaty his palm was. As he put it down on the handle he sudden pulled back quickly, like it was hot. Leon glanced towards the offshoot; it looked like they were going to have to go there. It wasn't a very inviting prospect.

"I'll go first this time," Chris said, his voice sounding so suddenly loud in the silence. Leon nodded and followed the older man as he set off down the small corridor, his shotgun poised. Despite the intensity of the situation, Leon couldn't help but admire the toned muscles of Chris' broad shoulders and wide back, showed off by his tight BSAA top. He'd really been stupid to think that his attraction would wane somehow. He shook his head to clear those thoughts. He needed to focus right now, not chase after something he was never going to get.

It wasn't long before they came to yet another locked steel door.

"This one doesn't look that strong, we could probably bring it down with a good kick or two" Chris said confidently.

"I seem to spend my life dealing with locked doors" Leon replied with a heavy sigh. Yet again his mind insisted on taking him back to Raccoon. The police station this time, with its many locked doors. He remembered how much his shoulder had screamed in pain by the time he'd broken down door after door, certain that escape was behind each one of them. The annoyance he'd felt when the stupid club key had been in the lock on the other side of one of them. It was the sort of thing he would've found funny on any other day…

"Tell me about it" Chris said with a strained chuckle. "You haven't felt true irritation until you've chased your own ass through a mansion looking for Sword, Armour, Shield and Kiss-my-mother-fucking-ass keys for hours on end…" He shook his head at the memory and Leon couldn't help but smile a little. It would seem that if they bothered to get into it, they had a lot in common and a lot to talk about. "So, you ready to bust this door down"?

"I guess it's preferable than backtracking" Leon answered. "I'm just not sure we should be making any noise when we don't know what's waiting for us"

"C'mon" Chris shrugged. "It's us! We're well leaded and I'm sure we can deal with whatever might come our way"

Leon nodded and lowered his magnum. After a few seconds of making sure they got the angle right, the two of them kicked their hardest, the door swung open and the hissing noise suddenly got a lot louder. Before they could investigate where the sound was coming from, they heard a heavy breathing coming from behind them. They whirled around quickly and there, standing little over a metre away was a horribly familiar face…

Chris felt his stomach leap into his throat as he turned around to see none other than Jack Krauser standing before them. The barrel of his shotgun was aimed straight at the mutated human but the arrogant man smiled like it was of no consequence.

"Krauser…" He heard Leon's choked gasp, the younger man sounding as shaken as Chris felt right now. He glanced at the younger man who was staring at Krauser incredulously.

Krauser looked the same as he had back at the facility in Spain. The spines on his mutated left arm were dripping with fresh blood from the fallen members of Alpha team. The taut film between these spines was expanding and contracting in time with the crazed man's breathing. He was dressed only from the waist down in the same filthy tattered remains of his combat trousers and scuffed black combat boots that were caked with blood and chunks of flesh. His human face and the rest of his body were still intact which meant that he hadn't mutated any further like Alexia Ashford or the T.A.L.O.S beast. It didn't, however, mean that he wasn't capable of it. Chris barely had time to take in the reappearance of the twisted creature before he lunged for the mass of mutated claws on the end of his arm lunged straight for Leon. Leon ducked and quickly executed a perfect roll, getting to his feet behind Krauser and reaching for his magnum.

"How are you even fucking alive you crazy bastard"? Chris shouted in an attempt to distract Krauser. Krauser however was seemingly ignoring him in favour of Leon. He'd turned around and lunged for the younger man again. Chris, with a clear shot at the man's back, fired. The shotgun shell hit, tearing through Krauser's bloodstained back. The man barely flinched as he continued to advance on Leon. The claw swiped out once more and Leon dodged in the small space, catching his knee on the wall. Chris fired again, another shell hitting Krauser's back, creating a wound but still having no obvious effect. They couldn't carry on like this indefinitely. His mind raced through the options. Escaping the way they came. No. Wouldn't work. Lift too slow. That other door. Try again. It's locked.

"Chris! Move"! Leon called out. The younger man's hands wrapped around his sweaty bicep pulling him through the open door and into a confined chamber. The hissing sound was deafening now and Chris quickly realised that the sound belonged to the gas pipes of a large furnace. He realised too late that there was no other way out of the chamber other than the door they'd just come through. Krauser was gained on them fast. They were going to have to fight.

Huge gas tanks took up the centre of the chamber with 'flammable' symbols emblazoned across them. They were housed in a large barbed wire pen stretching from floor to ceiling. Pipes ran from these tanks into the furnace itself, which consisted of a smaller chamber with two heavy metal shutters at either end. His mind was working quickly now, formulating a plan. It was a relief to hear it echoed from Leon.

"We need to lure him into that furnace" Leon said, pointing towards it. "There's a control panel just by one of the shutters. If we can get them closed and work out how to turn it on before he can escape the heat will take him out" He explained breathlessly. They could hear Krauser in the corridor. He obviously knew they were trapped, as he made no effort whatsoever to get to them quickly. Chris hoped that it would be this unbelievable arrogance that would prove to be his downfall. "You go for the controls, I'll be the bait" Leon continued. Chris nodded, not at all happy with that particular part of the plan. It made sense of course, after all, it seemed that Krauser's interest was in Leon but he didn't like the idea of anything going wrong and Leon getting hurt again. His mind teased him with images of Leon lying in the hospital room in Spain, hooked up to all those machines…

"Chris, he's coming, move"! Leon ordered, running towards the shutter. Chris ran for the second shutter and waited by the control panel beside it. Krauser strolled almost idly into the room, his smirk stretching from ear to ear.

"It'll take much more than some squid in a tank to take me out Kennedy" He mocked, spotting Leon by the shutter. He moved towards him with inhuman speed, closing the distance between them in one leap. Chris spotted the handle on the top of the shutter above Leon's head. He mentally cursed. The damn things were manual! He was going to have to wait for Krauser and Leon to get inside before he could run round to close it. His heart hammered in his chest as Krauser raised his claw, seemingly teasing Leon with it. He wanted to march over there and rip it from the bastard's torso. The only time he'd felt such intense hatred in his life was after Wesker had shot Leon in the facility. He watched as Leon backed into the furnace and Krauser followed, mindlessly taking the bait. Chris saw his chance and ran round to the shutter, reaching up for the handle and slamming it down. It hit the floor with a loud metallic clang and as he ran back to the control panel, he could hear the sound of Leon opening fire, the shots deafening in the enclosed space. As he reached the controls, Leon staggered out of the furnace. He quickly turned and started to shoot once more as Krauser appeared by the doorway. Three bullets struck Krauser's left leg, the magnum's firepower causing him to drop to his knees, his claw pulsating, the spines flexing dangerously. Chris jumped up for the shutter handle and brought it down quickly, trapping Krauser in the furnace. He pressed the start button on the control panel and the hissing grew to a crescendo as the furnace started to fill up with gas. He could hear Krauser inside, screaming and roaring with rage. He looked in through the small viewing window on the other side of the shutter and could see that his left leg had begun to split open, cracking, splintering, mutating and spraying the furnace walls with blood. His screams petered out and Chris jumped back as the claw whacked hard against the reinforced glass.

"Looking for Jill are we"? Krauser bellowed over the sound of the gas. "Maybe you should ask the bitch in the red dress" He locked eyes with Chris, his gaze full of hatred. Chris took a step back from the viewing window. He became vaguely aware of Leon's hand on his shoulder, pulling him back to the control panel.

"I'll hunt you until the end of you days Kennedy"! Krauser roared, suffused with rage. "Dirty faggot"!

Leon remained perfectly composed, his gloved fingers dancing over the control panel, searching for the right button.

"Yeah, I'm gay" He called back calmly. "Looks like it's your problem and look where it got ya" He added, punching a button with a picture of a flame on it. The furnace exploded into life with the energy of the sun, the intense light blanking out the viewing window. The blaze died down as suddenly as it started. They stood in silence for a few minutes, taking in what had just happened. Chris felt shell-shocked. The mention of Jill's name sinking in. He wanted to berate himself for not charging into the furnace at the mention of her name and beating ten tonnes of shit out of him until the twisted bastard told him everything he knew.

"He probably didn't know anything" Leon spoke suddenly, almost making him jump.

"I need to know he's dead," Chris said coldly. He yanked open the shutter, ignoring the burning warmth and stuck his head inside the furnace. The heat within was still intense but he managed to bear it. In the middle of the furnace was a pile of dust and what appeared to be charcoal. The sight made him feel mildly better. "Well, he ain't coming back from that"

"Good" Leon said firmly. He was bending down and picking something up from the floor. He held it up to show Chris. "Keys. Krauser must've dropped them"

Chris nodded, figuring the keys were probably for the locked door they'd passed earlier. His mind was chattering away, trying to figure out what the hell Krauser had talked about when he'd mentioned 'the bitch in the red dress'. Perhaps Leon was right; perhaps Krauser really didn't know anything. After all, the guy was half man half BOW and totally crazy to boot. Then again, if Krauser didn't know anything then how did he know Jill's name? There was always a chance that Wesker had mentioned her in Spain but he got the distinct impression that Krauser was more of a toy for Wesker to play with than a buddy to chat to.

"We're gonna find her" Leon's voice broke through his thoughts once more. He turned to face the younger man and saw the confident, adamant expression on his face. Chris realised that if there was anyone he had to be stuck in this nightmare with, he was with the right person.

"You're right" He replied. "We will find her"

"We'll head back to the door we passed and see what's behind it" Leon continued. He started to walk back towards the corridor. Chris followed, barely looking back at the furnace and the charred remains of Jack Krauser.

END OF CHAPTER TWO.


	3. Chapter 3

Notes:- Here it be, Chapter three! Thanks to the lovely Zet for your double review! Have a chocolate coated Saddler to play with your chocolate coated Krauser! Not sure how he'll taste though…maybe a bit bitter!

The Facility – Aftermath

Chapter Three

The locked door had led to yet another lift, which they'd ascended to find themselves in what looked like a large garage like room. A rusty old Jeep was parked in the far corner, its tires rotten with age. There were more pallets and oil drums as well as planks of wood stacked up around the rest of the wall space. The room seemed to be devoid of human life and through a dirty window that spanned almost the length of the back wall, they could clearly see the waterfront area, stretching out below them. Although they had a limited view of the area, both of them could clearly see villagers milling in and out of the small cluster of buildings.

"I can't see any way around" Leon said, after observing the scene for a few moments. "Looks like we're gonna have to fight our way through" He checked out his ammo situation. He was starting to run low on handgun bullets but was still pretty well leaded with his magnum. He knew Chris still had all of his shotgun shells so they'd probably be alright.

"Fuck…look at that"

Leon looked over to where Chris was pointing. Towards the middle of the small waterfront settlement were the unmistakable remains of a smouldering helicopter. Small wisps of smoke were still rising from it, unfurling into the sky.

Leon instantly recognised it as the chopper that Kirk had been riding in. Although they both knew what had happened to it, it was shocking to see it. The villagers were seemingly ignoring it, obviously unfettered by such an erroneous sight.

"We need to end this before anyone else dies" Chris said firmly. He was staring at Leon, looking intense as he spoke. "I'm not losing anyone else on this mission".

He added, almost as if saying it out loud would prevent it from happening. Leon nodded. He wanted to tell Chris that it was going to be alright and that nobody else was going to die except he couldn't. He couldn't guarantee that it wouldn't happen again and he didn't want to insult Chris' intelligence by trying to placate him. His silence however, only seemed to serve to irritate the older man. "I don't get how you can be so cold to this! Doesn't it bother you that people around you are getting brutally murdered? Shit! I mean, I know you're cold, hell, Spain was a perfect example of that but we've seen an innocent young woman executed and now this and you don't say boo" He ranted, getting more and more worked up with every word. Leon continued to remain silent. Chris was obviously stressed and seemed to need to do this. He started to pace, flailing his arms and getting himself more worked up as he did so. He kicked out at one of the Jeep's tires. A large chunk of the tire crumbled off the wheel rim. "These are our colleagues and they're dying and you just carry on like some sort of fucking robot! What do they do in the Secret Service? Remove your fucking conscience as well as your fucking sense of humour"? He whipped around and glared at Leon. "Look at you! Just standing there looking all cool and not saying a fucking word! Can't you at least tell me that it'll be alright? No! You obviously can't even do that…FUCK"! The last word exploded from Chris mouth and he turned away from Leon. Leon heard him sigh heavily.

"Do you feel any better now"? He asked quietly.

"I guess I do actually" Chris turned back around to face him and it seemed that some of the anger and intensity had drained away from his expression. He leant against the Jeep, rubbing the skin between his eyebrows. "I've never been good at dealing with death. I got kicked out of the Air Force because they wanted me to leave a guy behind and I couldn't. Ended up mounting a rescue mission and nearly getting me and a couple of others killed doing it…and then that shit with the Spencer Mansion. Opening a door or walking down a corridor and finding the butchered corpse of one of the Bravos and now this" He waved his hand around in the air. "It just gets to me sometimes and I guess I need to have a vent"

"By saying 'fuck' five times in quick succession"? Leon offered with the briefest hint of a smile. He didn't want to appear like he was trying to lighten the situation too soon but they needed to get moving and press onwards and the sullen, angry Chris would be too careless and take risks.

"You counted"? Chris raised an eyebrow and offered a small smile back. "You're a fucking nerd Kennedy"

"Hey, if I had a dollar for every time I've heard you swear I'd…" He thought for a moment and then shrugged. "Have enough for a semi-decent meal anyway" He nodded in the direction of the window. "I saw a small jetty out there with a boat. That's gonna be our best option to get down the river"

"Let me guess. We're gonna have to fight our way to it" Chris replied. He sighed heavily and checked his ammo. "You think Wesker's got something to do with all this"?

"Has to be" Leon said gravely. "From what I read in the reports we found at the facility he was looking for a group of people to carry experiments out on. They don't act or move like zombies which says to me that its some new type of virus that he's developed"

"More innocent lives ruined by the hands of Albert Wesker" Chris spat. Leon saw the dark intense look come over his partner's features once more. He knew that personally, his connection to Wesker was purely job related. As far as the Secret Service were concerned, he was just another out of control terrorist who needed to be stopped. For Chris however, it was so much more. The older man had only briefly explained what had happened during the Mansion Incident but Leon knew that Chris' relationship with Wesker was deep and complicated. Seeing that look on Chris' face at the mention of his name made Leon want to hunt the man down and personally tear him limb from limb.

"Let's go," He said with renewed conviction. "We're going to find Jill and we're going to finish this"

They headed out of the garage and down a large set of slightly rusted metal stairs that led into the small village below. They could see the motorboat at the jetty behind another steel gate. Beside the jetty was a set of wooden stalls laid out to make a small market square. Next to this square at the other side was a large steel building with more painted signs and pictures of fish on the side. It was obviously a fishing warehouse of some sorts. The wooden jetty itself looked old and unstable. There was still a slightly hostile atmosphere but it seemed different from the previous village. The villagers were eyeing them with suspicion but were hurrying into nearby houses as if they were trying to get away from them, not attack.

"This is getting strange…" Chris muttered. Leon nodded. The whole air of the village seemed distinctly different. There were no rotting smells or signs of disrepair. The buildings were well maintained the Leon could smell the fruits from the market stalls.

"You two! Americans! Stop right there"! A loud, clear and confident voice called out from the doorway of the fish warehouse. A tall, well built black man started to run towards them, his head was shaved and he was dressed in olive green combat style trousers and a black vest. A mean looking machete hung from a black leather belt. There was a large tribal tattoo covering his entire left arm and shoulder. He had strong, defined muscles and looked as though he could easily match, if not overpower, Chris in terms of strength. He stopped when they were a metre or so apart, observing them with unfriendly eyes. "What business do you have here"? He demanded, his right hand hovering over the handle of his machete.

"Relax, we come in peace" Chris announced importantly, enunciating every word as if the man was stupid. Leon cupped his face in his palm and sighed deeply. The man looked at Chris in bewilderment.

"Really smooth Chris" Leon said sarcastically. "He obviously speaks English" He nodded apologetically at the man. "I'm sorry about him. He's…something you have to get used to." He said by way of explanation. "My name's Leon Kennedy and we're looking for a way to get up the river. Would you be able to help us"?

Chris snorted indignantly, obviously sore at being denied the opportunity to work on his foreign relations. Leon ignored him. They were having enough problems as it was without Chris' clumsy interpersonal skills.

"My people don't trust Americans" The man replied, his hand still hovering over the handle of his weapon. "But you're different to the ones that have been by here recently" He held out a hand. "Josh Stone"

Leon shook the proffered hand, frowning when he realised what Josh had just said. Other Americans?

"Who else has been through here"? He asked. A couple of villagers were witnessing the exchange, approaching them with obvious caution.

"Leon" Chris whispered.

"Chris, shut up" Leon warned as Josh started to explain how a group of 'soldiers' had descended on the village a few weeks ago. They'd tried to launch an attack on the village but Josh and some of the other men had managed to fight them off.

"It wasn't easy" Josh continued. "They had guns. I heard what happened to the last village they went to. Some sort of infection"

"Leon"! Chris repeated, this time more urgently.

"Not now"! Leon hissed. He turned back to Josh. "Did they have any sort of insignia on their uniforms"? He asked. He had a horrible feeling that these 'soldiers' belonged to Wesker and that they'd been dispatched to the village with the intention of infecting it, just like the previous one.

"Not that I saw" Josh answered. "We were too busy fighting them off. They haven't been back since but obviously we don't trust outsiders now. Particularly Americans"

"Leon"! Chris persisted, poking Leon hard in the shoulder. Leon sighed heavily and apologised to Josh before turning to Chris.

"What the hell do you want"? He asked irritably.

"That kid's staring at me" He whispered, pointing towards a little boy that was standing close by, his arms wrapped around his mother's leg, his eyes wide and unblinking and staring at the two of them. Leon rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Just ignore him," He muttered back. Once more, he turned his attentions back to Josh who seemed to be a little more relaxed in their company. "Did you see anyone else with them? Another man or a woman perhaps"?

"There was a man with them. I only saw him briefly" Josh replied. His hand had moved away from the machete now and was dangling freely by his side. Leon could feel the hostility in the air slowly drifting away. "Self important man. Dark clothes, dark sunglasses and blonde hair. He seemed to be in charge but he disappeared before I could get near him. He had a woman with him but I didn't get a good look at her"

Leon nodded. That was all he needed to hear. It was obvious from Josh's description that the man he was talking about was Wesker. As for the woman, it could've possibly been the one that Krauser had mentioned back in the furnace. The woman he claimed held clues to Jill's whereabouts.

"You seem trustworthy" Josh continued. "I can give you the boat but nothing more I'm afraid"

"The boat will do fine" Leon replied gratefully. "You have my word that we're fighting on your side. We're trying to stop that man too and we intend to do it sooner rather than later. We could always use the extra help if you want to come along with us" He offered. Josh smiled but shook his head.

"I need to stay here. The soldiers might return. I would never forgive myself if I wasn't here to fight alongside my village" He looked over his shoulder and shouted something in his own language to a nearby man. The man nodded and disappeared inside the warehouse. He came back out a few moments later and handed something to Josh. Josh placed the object in Leon's gloved hand. It was a key, obviously for the motorboat.

"Thank you"

"Not a problem" Josh replied. The pair shook hands and the villagers around them slowly began to go back to their errands and jobs. Leon turned around to see Chris crouched beside the little boy who'd been staring at him, offering him a chocolate bar that he'd pulled out of one of the pockets of his combats. The boy looked up at his mother and his mother nodded encouragingly. The boy reached out and took the chocolate bar, smiling at Chris in thanks before running away, his mother following behind. Chris stood up and grinned at Leon goofily. Leon couldn't help but smile. At least whilst Chris had been distracted with the child he hadn't heard what Josh had said about the woman who'd been with Wesker.

"We've got the boat," Leon said, holding up the set of keys.

"Great" Chris replied. "Sure beats fighting off another hoard of crazies" He followed as Leon led the way down to the steel gate. "Have you got any idea how to drive this thing"? He asked as they approached the motorboat. It was fairly small and compact but would seat two people comfortably.

"Yes actually" Leon said, clambering into the boat. He hadn't had much experience with motorboats but he knew enough to get by. He checked the directions on his PDA and started up the boat. Chris hopped in and the pair set off down the river.

It was late evening before the buildings and villages made way for marshlands. The motorboat cut through the tall reeds that were dotted in the murky water. The sun had set and taken the heat with it, leaving behind a clear starry sky and cooler temperatures.

"According to my notes there should be a tribal village around here" Leon said as he slowed the boat down a little. There didn't look to be anything around them apart from a very small wooden jetty to their left with a small wooden shack beside it. There were no lights or any other signs of life coming from the shack. Leon looked up at the sky, it was getting darker and darker and he didn't know about Chris, but he was exhausted. They were going to need to find somewhere to eat and sleep soon and judging by how desolate the marshlands were, it could be a while before they came across something similar. He steered the boat towards the jetty and brought it to a stop.

"We should stop here for the night. Get something to eat and get some rest," He explained as he cut the boat's engine. Chris had been surprisingly silent on the journey and Leon guessed that his thoughts had turned back to what Krauser had said about Jill.

"We should keep going" Chris finally replied. He sounded tired and when Leon looked at him, the older man had dark circles around his eyes. "We need to press on. The longer we take the less chance we'll have of finding Jill"

"Chris we need to rest" Leon said firmly. "You look exhausted, I certainly feel exhausted and we both need to eat. I've got some rations on me which are gonna have to do for now" His voice softened. "I know you want to find her and I know how much it must be killing you that we're so close but we need to look after ourselves as well. We'll rest here tonight and press on first thing in the morning. Ok"?

Chris nodded but didn't really look like he agreed. He dutifully followed Leon into the small shack, guns raised, to check it out. It was completely empty and, judging by the dirty straw that covered the floor, hadn't been used for a while. It could sleep the two of them but it would be a bit of a squash. They relaxed somewhat and Leon rifled through the pockets of his combats and produced two foil packages containing some basic rations. He tossed one to Chris who opened it and started to devour it wordlessly. It was obvious by the way Chris was acting that he was in no mood to settle down and go to sleep. Leon sat down beside him and started to pick at his own ration pack.

"How's Claire"? He asked quietly so that Chris could pretend he didn't hear if he wanted to. The last thing Leon wanted to do was push him into talking.

"Fine" Chris replied. "She thinks Kevin's gonna propose soon. I guess I don't mind. He's a good guy and I know he'll look after her" He played with his ration pack awkwardly, as if he was gearing up to ask something. "What have you been doing anyway? Y'know, since Spain"?

"Not a lot." Leon shrugged. "I moved back to America like I told you in one of the e-mails. They wanted to put me in the President's team but I wanted something a bit more low profile" Leon answered. It was uncomfortable sitting so close together, close enough that their shoulders were just barely touching. It didn't do much to help Leon forget just how much he felt for the man sitting next to him. He swallowed hard. "Dennis is still in Spain. He was asking after you. We e-mail each other a couple of times a week. He's going to a be a father-"

"I admire you" Chris' interruption was so sudden and so unexpected that Leon wasn't even sure he'd heard the older man right. He looked up at him and Chris obviously understood as he repeated it. "I admire you for the way you just dealt with what Krauser said to you about being gay" He explained. "You made it seem so easy…"

"It is easy" Leon shrugged. "He was the one with the problem, not me. I guess it took me too long to realise that" He stood up and stretched as much as he could in the cramped space. "You should get some sleep now. I'll stay outside and keep watch and I'll wake you up in a couple of hours or so to take over. Ok"?

Chris nodded and Leon gently stepped over him and made for the doorway. Chris' next words were quiet and desperate and even if he wanted to, Leon couldn't have possibly ignored him.

"Promise me we'll find Jill"

"We'll find Jill" Leon said adamantly before closing the shack's rickety door behind him. He sat down beside it, leaning his back against the cool wood. He pulled his PDA out of his pocket and tapped away at it looking for ones of the games he'd downloaded yet hadn't gotten round to playing. It was going to be a long night.

"Get lost Claire…" Chris muttered. If there was one thing he hated, it was his stupid sister trying to wake him up when all he wanted to do was sleep. Before he'd moved into his own place it had happened with annoying frequency. He batted out at her and tried to roll over in what was the most uncomfortable bed he'd ever slept in.

"Get up you big oaf" Claire's strangely masculine voice demanded. Masculine? Chris opened his eyes and discovered two things. He wasn't in a bed and it wasn't Claire that was trying to wake him up. Leon was standing over him, shaking his shoulder incessantly. Chris groaned and remembered that he wasn't at home but in some rundown shack in the middle of the African marshlands. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Alright, alright. I'm up" He moaned, taking a proffered water bottle and sipping from it. Leon looked exhausted as he sat down.

"Your turn to keep watch" He said through a badly stifled yawn. "Didn't see anything. S'quiet out there…" He added as his head started to loll. Chris stood up and helped his sleepy partner into a laying position before leaving the shack.

The wooden boards of the tiny jetty creaked as he took each step. He wasn't entirely sure of the time but he guessed it was at least the middle of the night. The marshlands around the shack were deathly silent and after the noise and activity of the village, were actually quite relaxing. If he thought about it enough, he could easily go back to sleep…He shook his head and decided to remain standing up, at least until the tiredness passed over. He dug around in his pockets looking for something he could entertain himself with. Apart from his various supplies, which were all, decidedly functional, all he had in the various pockets of his combats was a penny, some chewing gum, a hell of a lot of lint and a crumpled photograph that he'd taken to carrying around with him. The photograph had been taken shortly before he'd gone to Spain. He and Jill had gone to France because she'd wanted to sample the culture and he'd wanted to try the cheese. They'd gotten over the terrible awkwardness of their break-up and had just had a great time as friends. The photo had been taken in the middle of a vineyard. Jill had eloquently asked a local to take it whilst they stood by the vines. Ever since Jill had gone missing, Chris had carried the photo around with him. He knew it sounded stupid but there was something about her celluloid smile that gave him hope of finding her.

He sighed heavily and leant against the shack. He looked in through the grimy, dirt-smeared window. Leon was laying on his side, deep in sleep. His hair had fallen over his face and his head was cradled in his right arm. Chris winced as he was hit with another horrible flashback of Leon lying in the hospital bed. He hadn't admitted it to anyone but he still had nightmares about what had happened in the Spanish facility. He'd lost count of the amount of times he'd woken up in a cold sweat, his mind full of images of Leon being gunned down by Wesker, his blood spreading across the floor. As he looked at him now he couldn't help but worry about the confrontations ahead of them. Wesker had made it plain that he didn't care whether Leon lived or died and in his experience when Wesker thought that lives were dispensable, those lives were usually dispensed with in the most brutal way imaginable. As he watched Leon turn over in his sleep he realised that he'd really missed him in the year they'd been apart. In the brief moments that his mind had drifted away from finding Jill, it had drifted to Leon. They'd swapped phone numbers and he'd lost count of the times he'd nearly called him only to hang up at the last minute. He found himself suddenly selfishly thinking what might've happened had he not been so fixated on finding Jill. Would he have maybe met up with Leon? He could easily imagine what they might've done. Grabbed a beer in a bar, maybe chilled out playing video games, got in a takeaway. He could see how they would've probably seen a lot more of each other. He wanted to see a lot more of Leon. Working with him again had made Chris realise how much he cared for him and how much he loved him.

Chris blinked, trying to backtrack his own thoughts. Loved? Where the hell had that come from? He looked at Leon once more and almost as if he'd been hit over the head, it all fell into place. Why he'd stayed in Spain, why he'd been so protective when Leon had suffered his albeit brief but worrying setback in his recovery. He should've seen it coming from a mile off but then emotions and feelings never were his strong point. He looked at Leon again and realised there and then that he cared for him a lot more than as a friend.

Feeling something like that for another man was definitely something that was an alien thought to him but, for some reason, it didn't feel at all strange. Chris turned away from the window and looked across the water. What did it all mean? Did it mean he was gay? Surely it couldn't. After all, he'd had relationships with women. Perhaps he was bisexual. He supposed that it made sense. He wondered if he should tell Leon but he quickly realised that a foreign country in the middle of a mission wasn't exactly the best time or place to tell your partner that you were attracted to them. This was going to have to be something that could wait, wait until they'd found Jill, got rid of Wesker and were safely back in America.

Chris looked up at the sky and saw a band of copper along the horizon. It was gradually lightening to gold as the early morning sun began to rise. He'd been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realise that dawn was breaking.

His brain was still dealing with and trying to process with the aftermath of his realisation when Leon woke up and joined him on the jetty.

"It looks like the village we're looking for is just over there," Leon said, pointing over at the horizon where the roofs of traditional mud huts could clearly be seen. The younger man turned to face him, one eyebrow raised quizzically. "Are you alright? You're looking at me strangely."

"Yeah, yeah…I'm fine." Chris replied hoping that he sounded convincing. Leon shrugged and checked his ammo. Chris watched him for the briefest of moments before checking his own gear. He was fighting his natural urge to just simply blurt out what he was feeling. It reminded him of his clumsy seduction of Jill. They'd been out at the movies and had been waiting for a train when he suddenly and impulsively turned to her on the platform and told her that he loved her. It had been clumsy and crude and although Jill had seemed to react well to it, he didn't want to make a similar mistake again. He knew that some blurted confession would never pass muster with someone who had such high standards as Leon.

"Did you sleep well"? He asked instead. It was a dumb question with a totally obvious answer but at least it was conversation.

"As well as I could on the floor of a shack" Leon answered. He was tapping away at his PDA again. "Let's get a move on," He continued, heading for the motorboat. Chris followed close behind, hoping that he would be able to keep his emotions in check and come up with a significant way of telling Leon how he felt.

The village was a mile or so down river from the small shack. It appeared to be a fairly small settlement nestled between the reeds and made largely from mud and clay. There were a few wooden huts dotted about as well. The whole place seemed so far from civilisation that it reminded Chris of a medieval village. Leon brought the boat to a stop and they clambered out, guns drawn; impossible to tell at this stage whether or not the village had been touched by Wesker's cruel and twisted hand.

As they entered the village, they could see basic wooden pens off to their left containing weak and bedraggled chickens that were obviously being neglected. To their right were three thick wooden posts of varying heights. Atop these posts were three exquisitelycarved masks, lovingly coloured with natural pigments. More of these masks hung over the doorways of some of the wooden huts. The ground beneath their feet consisted of sun baked clay with patches of hay strewn haphazardly about. Chris approached one of the huts carefully. He stuck his head through the doorway to find it empty. The only things inside were some red clay pots and a bed made from hay.

"It's probably for the best that this place is deserted" Leon said. "I can't imagine the tribe would take kindly to a couple of Americans traipsing through what's probably their sacred ground" He consulted his trusty PDA once more. "Intelligence states that there's a possibility that Wesker's facility is located within the ruins of a nearby temple"

"Good thing we don't have to persuade the locals" Chris replied, relaxing a little. He watched as Leon checked a couple of the nearby huts; gun ever ready in case anyone decided to jump out on them. "How's the leg these days"? He asked when Leon emerged from the last hut.

"Fine" Leon said. "I stopped therapy about six months ago…" He stopped and appeared to listen hard. He frowned and readied his magnum. "I heard something" he explained when Chris looked at him. Leon was looking over at the next small group of huts. Then suddenly, Chris heard it too; the unmistakeable sound of footsteps. He grabbed his shotgun and the pair of them stood, waiting. The footsteps grew closer and closer until finally Chris spotted movement from behind one of the huts in front of them. Two tribesmen emerged, naked aside from dry, yellowed grass skirts and bone necklaces. It was immediately obvious that they were infected by looking at their pallid skin and dead eyes. The tribesmen saw them straight away, letting out a strangled war cry before advancing on them, arms raised menacingly.

"What the hell do they think they're gonna do against two guys with guns"? Chris scoffed, raising his shotgun. He fired off two shots, one after the other, hitting each tribesman directly in the head.

Instead of dropping to the floor like he expected the to, the tribesmen's heads stayed on their shoulders. They did however; raise their hands to their heads, acting as if they were in pain. Using this distraction to his advantage, Leon fired his handgun, dropping the pair of their knees. The tribesmen both screamed and Chris could only watch in horror as their bodies started to swell and undulate. Leon fired off more handgun rounds but the bullets had no effect.

"Not this again" Chris muttered, motioning for Leon to back off alongside him. The spines of the tribesmen were bursting through the flesh of their backs, arms morphing into fleshy lumps with long, thick teeth protruding from the ends. Their spines dropped from their bodies, the ribcage still attached along with a bloody lump of flesh that started to harden before their eyes to form some sort of tail. The screams stopped instantly as their heads collapsed in on themselves.

Chris opened fire as the monsters got back to their feet. They were no longer human from the waist up. Their torsos were now huge knobbly lumps of flesh. They stretched their club like arms wide, resembling a twisted Venus flytrap, the inside of which was full of yellow pus filled lumps. Chris recovered enough to fire off a few rounds at the lumps, causing the gruesome creatures to reel back. The blasts only stunned them for mere seconds before they started to advance once more. They were slow and, judging by the way they were ambling along, blind and working from sense of smell only. Chris saw Leon nod at him. He knew instantly what the younger man wanted. He watched as Leon took the left before following his lead and taking the right, circling around the two creatures. Leon quickly switched to his magnum.

"The tail"! He shouted, opening fire.

Chris followed suit, unloading bullets into the tail of the creature closest to him. Leon popped the tail of the other in three shots. Chris fired five shots before the other creature crumpled to the floor.

"Damn thing ate up half my ammo"! He moaned as he kicked the creature's body, making sure that it was dead. "Another one of Wesker's failed experiments" He spat, shaking his head. He fumbled in his combat pocket, grinning as he produced a pack of cigarettes. At least he hadn't left them in his backpack! He would've been pissed to lose them. He popped one out of the pack and stuck it in his mouth before searching for his lighter. He located it quickly and had just sparked the flame when he saw Leon's face. "What"? He asked, a mixture of skill and experience keeping the cigarette in place as he spoke.

"You're still on those"? Leon said.

"Thought you didn't care" Chris teased with a raised eyebrow. "Besides, they make me look cool"

"Fifteen year olds use that piece of self justification" Leon replied with a look of mild disgust on his face. So Leon hated smoking…Chris resolved to give up as soon as he could but not before he'd had his last victory smoke…not that he was even sure why he cared what Leon thought of his smoking.

"Young at heart, that's me," He said as he lit up, taking the first delicious drag. Leon shook his head and reloaded his gun as Chris smoked. Chris heard the younger man sigh deeply before speaking once more.

"Give me a drag"

"After the shit you just gave me"? Chris said disbelievingly. "Afraid not Mr Kennedy" He took another deep drag. "You don't smoke anyway" He wagged his finger disapprovingly with his free hand. "It's a filthy habit lad and don't you start" He blew out an expert smoke ring. "Or do you just want to look as cool as me"?

"As a matter of fact I used to smoke" Leon replied snottily. "I'm a stress smoker," He added with a shrug. "But it doesn't come as a surprise that you don't know how to share" He teased. "It's just another one of your amazing qualities"

Chris rolled his eyes and took one last drag before offering the rest. Leon took a deep drag, closing his eyes for a moment before blowing the smoke out in a perfect smoke ring that could easily rival Chris'. Leon opened his eyes and smirked, dropping the cigarette and grinding it out with his left hiking trainer.

"Let's move on," He said with a sigh.

They moved onwards through the village, coming to a stop when they reached a large open plan hut, which looked like it could've been used to hold tribal meetings. There was a thick wooden pole in the centre, which obviously served to support the round, hay-topped roof. Attached to this pole, as some sort of macabre decoration, was the dead body of a tribesman. His body was intact and he'd been pinned to the pole by his throat with a vicious looking spear. His skin was the same grey colour of the previous two indicating that he'd been infected. Apart from the body there was no other sign of life.

Chris watched as Leon crouched by the body to examine the neck wound. His fingers brushed across the dead man's skin.

"Blood's clotted and dry," He said. "He's been here a while"

Chris however, was too distracted to reply. Out of the corner of his eye, he'd just spotted what was unmistakably a small group of zombies emerging from one of the nearby huts. They had, at one point, also belonged to the tribe but were now the mindless monsters that Chris remembered from the mansion.

"Leon"! He called out, nodding towards the zombies. Leon stood up and was by his side in an instant. They opened fire on the ringleader, aiming directly for its head. Their bullets hit the mark, exploding the ringleader's head in a mess of blood and gore. The skin of its face flapped forwards onto its chest and a huge worm-like creature burst upwards from its neck. Chris watched in horror as small centipede legs wriggled around, fruitlessly clawing at its shoulders and neck stump. The end of the worm opened up into a four lobed mouth and, with a horrible snapping sound, a tooth lined hole shot forward and proceeded to bite the heads off the tribesman zombies that were lumbering forwards.

The bodies fell slowly, none of them reacting to the sudden attack. The worm-like creature, done with its feast, turned its attentions to Leon.

"What the fuck is that thing"? Chris demanded, raising his shotgun. He'd seen some horrible, twisted, fucked up things back in the Spencer Mansion and in Antarctica but nothing like this.

"Looks like a Plagas creature" Leon called back, backing up. "It was in the reports we took from the Spanish facility," He explained.

Chris fired, sinking three shotgun rounds into the body of the creature. It continued its grim march forwards, unaffected and unperturbed by the shotgun shells. Leon raised his magnum and was about to fire when a huge, guttural roar rumbled across the village. A large, unidentifiable beast bounded out of nowhere. Its huge claws slashed through the neck of the worm-like Plagas creature and ripping open its torso.

It fell to the ground wetly, one of the dismembered zombies' heads sliding out of the tube-like neck in a mess of brownish yellow liquid that started to pool across the clay. The beast let out another roar, finally noticing Chris and Leon. Chris stared open-mouthed. It had a similar bone structure to a man but stood several feet taller. Its arms were outstretched, adorned with veined eighteen-inch claws.

As the beast stood before them, casting a huge shadow, a familiar sick feeling washed over Leon. It reminded him of being back in Raccoon City, facing off against Sherry's father, William Birkin, who'd been similarly deformed after injecting himself with the G Virus. As it roared, the beast's chest expanded to reveal its ribs between stretching bands of bright red flesh. Like Birkin, his chest and shoulders had become disproportionately large with bones extending out and upwards from the collarbones, stretching the blackened skin. Its neck was a tumourous mass and, on the right side, a yellowed inflamed eyeball was sliding around in an abnormal socket. Just like Birkin's had, its skull had mutated and changed shape so that it was larger. The skin however, hadn't followed suit so that it was torn and stretched where the jaw opened. Leon heard Chris open fire, shooting at the beast's legs in an attempt to bring it down. He recalled that Birkin's weakness had been his mutated eye. He grabbed his magnum and aimed, puncturing the eye with one shot.

They were forced to scatter as the beast started to charge forwards. Chris was still aiming at the beast's legs, switching to his handgun when he ran out of shotgun shells. As Leon rounded its back, he could see more eyes. He aimed for each one and popped them quickly. Under the pressure of his partner's relentless fire, the beast fell to its knees. Chris was beside him once more, using his handgun to fire at the eyes alongside him.

The beast let out a long sigh like a dead body expelling air and collapsed onto its front. Seizing the opportunity, they both reloaded and backed away quickly.

"I know I've said this before" Chris said breathlessly. "But what the fuck is THAT thing"? He wiped some of the sweat from his brow.

"It's not dead" Leon replied flatly. He felt as if he'd been sucked back into the nightmare of Raccoon City and all that it had entailed. It reminded him painfully of Sherry. He saw Chris open his mouth to reply but was distracted as the beast started to move once more. Its whole body began to convulse as its abdominal flesh started to tear. With a sickening crack, its ribs parted, spraying the ground with blood. Leon felt drops of it land on his face. Two new arms, wet and foetal, emerged from underneath the ribs, unfurling as if they'd been trapped within its insides. They grew rapidly, becoming full size within seconds. Its legs were bulging, the flesh undulating as the wounds from Chris' shots healed themselves.

They opened fire once more but, as Leon expected, it seemed largely unaffected as it rose to its feet. It spread its new arms wide and let out its loudest roar yet, spraying them both with a liberal amount of spit. They continued firing, tearing holes in the beast's face and chest as it advanced menacingly upon them. Leon's magnum clicked empty. He muttered a curse and holstered it, out of ammo. He backed away quicker, looking frantically around the village for a new solution.

Just to his left he caught sight of a hut encircled by thick wooden stakes. He needed to move quickly if he was going to pull his idea off. The beast's focus had turned to Chris who was still firing at it. It was his perfect chance and he had to take it. He grabbed a nearby spear and threw it as hard as he could. It hit the beast directly in the middle of its vast back making Leon grateful, possibly for the first time in his life, that his high school athletics coach had pushed him so hard. The beast turned around and Leon bolted for the stakes, positioning himself in front of them as it started to charge at him.

"Come on you fucker" He muttered.

He saw Chris drop quickly into a crouching shooter's stance and start shooting at the backs of the beast's knees. It stumbled forwards and Leon rolled out of its way as it crashed headlong into the hut. Leon stayed on the dusty floor, arms over his head to protect himself from the shower of falling splinters. As soon as it was safe, he sat up and saw that the beast had, just as he'd planned, impaled itself. The three wooden stakes penetrated its chest and abdomen. It struggled against the stakes gasping and screaming as its blood leaked from its wounds. Leon watched in a mixture of sheer horror and disbelief as Chris suddenly charged forwards and dived underneath the beast.

"What the hell are you doing"? He shouted as he watched Chris jam his gun and whole forearm into the beast's torn stomach and punched upwards, emptying an entire clip into its insides. Leon saw the bullets spray outwards from its neck and face. It slumped further onto the stakes, expelling blood and stinking, foul liquid. Chris rolled out from underneath and got to his feet. His hair, face and BSAA uniform were covered in pus and guts. He shook his right arm, sending the foul stuff flying. It landed with a sticky splat inches away from Leon's hiking trainers. He then wiped his sticky handgun down the leg of his combats and holstered it. Leon had never seen anything so disgusting in his life. He expected Chris to grin in that self-satisfied way that he had and come out with some kind of witty comment that would make any action hero of the Eighties seem as eloquent as Oscar Wilde.

It came as a surprise therefore when Chris glared coldly at him and grabbed his arm, squeezing it tightly in a grip that seem designed to hurt.

"Don't ever act as bait again" He spat, releasing him as quickly as he'd grabbed him, leaving Leon feeling somewhat taken aback. He was about to justify his actions but it seemed like the onslaught of attackers was not yet over. Another group of tribesmen had spilled out of a hut in the distance. "I get the impression we're being played with" Chris said, his voice back to normal now. "And I don't know about you but I used the last of my ammo on Mr Ugly Asshat back there" He added, nodding towards the beast's prone body.

"I'm out too" Leon replied. The tribesmen were getting closer. It looked as if they were just run of the mill zombies but judging by the way the others had suddenly mutated, they couldn't be too careful.

One them suddenly leapt forwards, almost knocking Chris to the floor. Chris responded in kind, delivering a strong right hook, which any boxer would've been proud of. As the tribesman reeled back from the punch, Chris used this to his advantage, sweeping his attacker's legs expertly. The zombie fell to the floor with a wail and Chris was on top on him in an instant, raining blows with the expertise of someone who could, and probably had, held his own in a bar brawl.

Leon had his own problems. A pair of them headed towards him, growling and spitting like rabid dogs. One of them lunged for him clumsily. Leon dodged round him and grabbed one of his flailing arms, twisting it with all his strength until he heard the telltale snap. The tribesman fell to the ground, roaring in pain. Leon grabbed another nearby spear and stuck it in his fallen attacker's head. The other tribesman seized the opportunity and leapt onto his back, nearly bringing him to his knees with the sudden weight. Leon grabbed its shoulders and pulled it over his head. The tribesman crashed to the floor and Leon took hold of its tribal necklace, choking him until he went limp. He barely had time to think before another one was on him. It knocked him to the floor and stood over him gloatingly. Leon kicked out, his sturdy hiking trainer making contact with the tribesman's stomach. He grabbed the spear and used the momentum of his kick to flip the tribesman over his head. He leapt to his feet and shoved the spear into its gut, twisting it as hard as he could. He looked over his shoulder to see Chris stamp on his original attacker's head. Their eyes met, waiting for the next attack. When nothing came, they breathed out heavily.

"You alright?" Leon asked breathlessly.

"Peachy" Chris replied, wiping his sweaty brow and offering him a cheesy grin. "Any idea where we go now"?

"There should be a cave nearby". Leon answered, looking towards the end of the village. He could see a large wooden gate. "That'll be the way out" He said confidently.

"Great" Chris said. "But before we do that, check this out" He nodded towards the nearest hut where a large metal box was sitting next to the doorway. "I noticed it while Mr Tribesman was trying to get all up in my grill"

"All up in your what"? Leon frowned. He didn't know whether to laugh or just be simply confused. It was quite endearing, the way Chris talked like a fifteen year old sometimes. It was certainly a welcome distraction given the current circumstances.

"Oh Leon, I have so much to teach you"! Chris said with the manner of someone who was extremely world-weary.

"Oh really"? Leon raised an eyebrow. This should be good. "And here I was thinking you have a lot to learn about hand to hand combat given the way you pretty much had a bar room brawl with one zombie whilst I took three of them out"

"You looked like you needed the practice" Chris replied simply although he did look a little sheepish. "Anyway, check out this box. It doesn't look like something you'd see lying around a place like this" He gave it a swift kick and stood ready to attack as it opened. When nothing jumped out, he ventured forwards to have a look in it. "AMMO"! He crowed loudly.

"Ammo"? Leon frowned, instantly suspicious. Chris' earlier comment had gotten him thinking. What if they were in the middle of some sort of twisted game? He didn't know Albert Wesker very well but he certainly wouldn't put it past him to play with his prey before he pounced. Leon sighed heavily and went over the box as Chris started to reload his handgun and shotgun.

"There's magnum ammo in there too" Chris added as Leon approached. "I know you're not gonna trust this but it's all we've got"

"You're right" Leon conceded. As much as he hated it when Chris was right, he had to agree. They had no other obvious options and they needed to reload. He delved into the box and stocked up on both handgun and magnum ammo. At the bottom of the box, slightly rusted and bent was a pair of dog tags. Leon picked them up and examined them closely. "Well…" He said, showing them to Chris. "Looks like Krauser loved us after all" He tossed the dog tags back into the box. It made him feel a little better that they'd found what was obviously Krauser's personal stash but it still seemed a little odd that the ammo was the correct ammo for their guns.

As soon as they were reloaded and ready, they ran for the large wooden gate, all the while keeping an eye out for any stragglers who might attack them. It was whilst looking out for attackers that Leon noticed security cameras hidden in ornaments and masks. Some of the huts also seemed to have electronic locks on them. He realised, with a sinking feeling that the likelihood of them being involved in a game was getting more and more likely. What they'd just experienced had obviously been some sort of arena-like test. He glanced over at Chris who didn't seem to have noticed. It was probably best that he keep his revelations from the older man. He was worried enough as it was.

They reached the gate and, unsurprisingly for Leon, it was unlocked. It opened easily to reveal a rocky tunnel that obviously led to the cave they were looking for. As they stepped inside, they heard a horrible groaning and slurping noise coming from behind them. The beast was suddenly yards away, mutating yet again into an even bigger mass of eyeballs, teeth and tentacles. It lurched towards them on four jointed tentacles.

"Wow, they really make these bastards to last" Chris said sardonically as they bolted down the rocky tunnel.

They both stumbled as they stepped on what looked like a man-made panel. There was an unmistakeable sound of weights shifting behind the walls. Behind them the beast was screeching as it pulled itself along, blood and fluid pattering on the rocks as it moved. Leon could see a large stone door in front of them, probably at least a metre thick. It started to drop downwards, creating a rumbling sound that echoed loudly around the enclosed space. A tentacle whipped around his back and he cried out at the sudden pain. He felt Chris' strong hands grip his arm, spurring him to move faster. He pumped his legs harder and harder as the beast got closer and closer. Together, he and Chris dived forwards, landing under the rapidly closing door with such force that it almost winded them. They scrabbled forward, closely followed by the beast, which tried to squeeze its bulbous mass through the increasingly small gap. Tentacles lashed at their legs as they scrambled away.

As the door continued to press downwards, the tentacles whipped themselves into a frenzy, one of them narrowly missing Leon. Chris was in front of him in seconds, using his massive bulk to shield him. Over Chris' shoulder, Leon could see one of the beast's mutated eyes burst under the pressure from the door, spewing a yellow viscous fluid. Its body finally gave in too; splitting and bursting like a ripe orange that had been stepped on.

Even though the beast was so obviously dead, Chris continued to hold onto Leon, squashing him against his chest. It wasn't at all an unpleasant feeling and did nothing to extinguish his feelings for the older man. He could feel Chris' breath tickling his scalp and ruffling his hair and he was held so tightly against his massive chest he could hear his heartbeat.

"Chris"? Chris didn't respond. "Chris…let go." He said with some reluctance. Instantly Chris' arms released him. Leon backed off, feeling a blush creep across his cheeks; he searched for his PDA, checking nothing in particular until he felt calm enough to look up. Chris was staring at the beast's dead body.

"It's finally dead." He said quietly, kicking at one of the limp tentacles. He sounded somewhat like a lost little kid and Leon would've given anything to know what he was thinking.

"Yeah…" was all he replied. He looked further down the tunnel and could see that it opened out into what looked like a large cavern. A row of bulbs built into the tunnel's ceiling lit their way, power lines sagging between each connection. Wordlessly, they moved further down the passage, Leon's heart thumping in his chest. They'd barely had a chance to breathe since they'd arrived at the tribal village and he could feel the adrenaline starting to wear off. He looked over at Chris who was striding purposefully ahead down the tunnel. They needed to find Jill and soon.

END OF CHAPTER THREE


	4. Chapter 4

Notes:- Thank you to everyone who has left a review! I'm glad that you're all enjoying the story! I'm very close to finishing it and just need to decide what happens at the end!

The Facility Aftermath

Chapter Four

The tunnel suddenly ended at a wooden ladder, which on closer inspection was propped up against the lip of an eight-foot drop. Leon followed as Chris climbed the ladder first. It led to a natural stone bridge that spanned the length of the cavern. The bridge's arch seemed to have been formed by an ancient flow of water that had long since dried up. At the other side of the bridge, Leon could see more tunnels stretching off into the distance, honeycombing the rock. The ongoing network of bulbs lighted up only one of these passages. Chris marched across the bridge and headed for the lit tunnel automatically.

As they made their way along the damp smelling tunnel, Leon couldn't help but realise just how much things had changed between them in what was a relatively short amount of time. Just over a year ago, he would've positively welcomed this sort of silence from Chris. Now that same silence felt horrible. He wasn't stupid. He knew that Chris was in pain and worried about Jill and all he wanted to do was just reach out and help him. The problem was, he'd separated himself from human contact for so long, he wasn't even sure he knew how to anymore. There was a tiny little part of him that longed for Chris to care about him as much as he obviously cared about Jill.

The tunnel ended abruptly with an old rusty service lift, almost like the sort of lift you'd usually find in a mineshaft.

"After you" Leon said when Chris appeared to hesitate. A brief smile crossed the older man's features but it disappeared quickly and he made no attempt to move. "What's up"?

"I was thinking" He replied. "Don't you think that this has all been a bit too easy"? Chris asked, leaning against the rocky wall. It was the first time that Leon had noticed but his partner looked utterly exhausted. His face and hair were streaked with sweat and blood, his skin greasy and dirty. His hair had lost its style, his messy spikes flopping onto his forehead. His BSAA uniform was spattered with the blood and guts of the various creatures they'd encountered.

"You call all of that back there easy"? Leon replied incredulously in an attempt to lighten the mood. He didn't want Chris going into these particular thoughts too much.

"I mean the ammo," Chris answered seriously. "And the fact that this place is all lit up like a Christmas tree for us" He took his water bottle from his hip pack and sipped. "I guess I'm just a little bit suspicious" He sighed heavily. "Wesker plays games. He always has done," He added darkly.

"We're careful" Leon replied reassuringly. Chris was echoing his own fears but he couldn't let him partner know this. "It's not like we're going into this blind. I know what he's capable of now" He unconsciously ran a hand over his stomach. He saw Chris' eyes lock onto it as well before looking away quickly and suddenly showing an interest into the workings of the lift. Leon would've never admitted it to anyone, not even Dennis, but since their meeting with Wesker in Spain, he'd suffered terrible nightmares and flashbacks. Over and over again his taunting mind would plague him at night, replaying the brutal blows Wesker had rained down on Chris. He felt sick at the thought.

After a quick look over the lift, Chris decided that everything seemed to be in order. They'd be no good to Jill if they both suddenly plummeted to their deaths. He felt incredibly wary and helpless at the same time. Once again he was caught up in another one of Wesker's crazed games and he was powerless to stop it, locked in by his drive to protect. First Jill, Barry and Rebecca, then his beloved little sister followed by Jill once more. His greatest fear now, coupled with the terrifying possibility of Jill's death was that Leon would be next. The fear made him tense and edgy and it was becoming harder to hide from the younger man. The way he'd rubbed his hand across his stomach made him remember the events he'd fought so hard to block out. He jumped, startled, as he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Leon.

"Ready"? He asked, nodding towards the lift.

"Yeah" He replied. He followed Leon into the lift and leant against the wall as his partner pressed the button to make it descend. Leon then produced his PDA and started tapping away at it once more. He cursed after a few seconds.

"Damn battery's dead" He muttered. This presented a wonderful opportunity to lighten the mood and Chris decided to grab it with both hands.

"Guess you shoulda charged it huh"? He said teasingly. Leon put it back in his pocket and pulled a pained face.

"Do you remember when we first met-" He snarled good-naturedly. It looked as if he appreciated the sudden change in mood, which made Chris all the more, determined to hang onto it.

"And you were a total asshole"? He offered by way of interruption. "I have a vague recollection-"

"Recollection? Really?" Leon counter-interrupted. "That's an awfully large word for someone like you" He spat haughtily. Chris simply smirked and flexed his muscles teasingly.

"I can show you something else that's awfully large," He said suggestively, one eyebrow raised.

"Don't," Leon replied coolly. His smile faded and he looked a little annoyed. He leant against the opposite wall, looking disgusted.

"Would it really be that terrible"? Chris asked, trying to keep his voice light and melodious though deep down he was actually kind of hurt. He'd always thought of himself as a rather attractive specimen and it bugged him that Leon didn't seem to think so. It also didn't exactly give him the best hope of actually acting on his feelings.

"Probably." Leon answered as the lift came to a stop. Chris shrugged and readied his handgun, following Leon into yet another tunnel that was lit with glowing amber lamps sitting on the ground along the walls. They followed it along cautiously, astonished when it opened out into a huge cave.

Chris stared around the room in bewilderment. What looked like a huge stone temple was cut into the rock wall at the opposite end of a huge chasm. A large mechanical bridge sat in the gap, split open with both halves pointing upwards. To their left was a ladder that led to a scaffold gantry running around the perimeter of the room, ending at a small maintenance cabin to their right. There was a bunch of power lines running from it towards the bridge. Huge lamps shone amber light down from the darkness above.

"Looks like the only way to get power to the bridge is to head for that cabin" Leon said. "Cover me and I'll check it out"

Chris nodded and kept watch as Leon walked over to the cabin. That horrible, wary, edgy feeling was still following him. It took him back to the Spencer Mansion and Spain once again. He wondered briefly if he would ever be free of those memories.

"Door's jammed" Leon was at his side once more. "We can get in through the ceiling though if we get up to the scaffolding"

"Let's go" Chris replied. "I'll watch your back."

They ran for the ladder, Chris pushing Leon up as they reached it. As Leon stared to haul himself up, a sickening chorus of hisses followed by ticking and clicking noises rose up from the black depths of the chasm. Chris trained his gun on the chasm's edge as a sinewy clawed hand gripped the edge, slowly hauling up a creature that seemed to be all claws and glistening red muscles. Chris hurried up the ladder at the sight of it. More creatures followed the first. He watched as the first one suddenly squatted, hunching up as it coiled its exposed leg muscles. It sprung at the ladder, smashing the bottom of it with one muscular arm, just as Chris reached the top.

"Leon! We've got monsters"! He called as the writhing mass of creatures continued to swipe at the ladder below them.

"Lickers…" Leon replied darkly, looking over the edge of the scaffolding. The expression on his face said that he knew a lot more but didn't want to go into it. Chris could fully understand why. The creatures were horrible quadruped monsters, glistening with a clear filmy substance. The brain of each creature was exposed along with its muscles and spine. Their jaws were open, showing stretched skin and rows of large jagged teeth. What creeped Chris out the most was the fact that none of them appeared to have eyes.

The lead one snarled and its huge, elongated tongue lashed out, denting a pipe halfway up

the ladder, scratching some of the dull red paint off. It reached out for the ladder, starting to slowly climb up, using its bone claws as rudimentary fingers. The others, in typical pack mentality, began to follow suit. Leon opened fire on the first one, his bullet lodging in its brain, dropping it off the ladder. Chris felt Leon's hand close around his forearm and they were running, across the gantry as the Lickers started to reach the top of the ladder. The gantry took them past the stone face of the temple, lit brightly with halogen floodlights.

"Go for the cabin" Chris ordered, turning to shoot the oncoming clan.

"Cover me?" Leon said as he started to make a run for it.

"Always."

Leon ran off and Chris fired at the herd, quickly picking them off as they advanced. He backed into the nearest corner and watched in amazement as a Licker started to rear up at Leon, only for Leon to hurdle over it expertly, leaving it to uppercut thin air. Chris managed to pick a couple more off before his handgun clicked empty. He started to reload but one of the Lickers suddenly leapt forward, blood dripping from a facial wound. Chris stepped sideways and punched the creature hard in the jaw. He heard a crunch as its jaw snapped and the Licker shuddered, stunned. Chris used this opportunity to reload and fire straight into its brain, just as Leon had done.

The ground below his feet shook as a loud creaking noise filled the whole room, as the bridge started to close. The two halves moved into position, providing a path to the ruin ahead. Chris finished off the rest of the pack of Lickers and headed back to the ladder. When he got to the bottom he saw Leon coming out of the door to the cabin. They met up in the middle and ran along the bridge. A huge steel door blocked entry to the temple, obviously not part of the worshipper's original architecture. As they approached it, it slid open, revealing another cavernous chamber.

The first thing that Leon noticed when they walked into the chamber was the woman who was crumpled over in the middle of the grey stone floor. She was on her knees, struggling to get up. She was dressed in a long red dress embroidered with a black butterfly design. Her thin, pale arms were streaked with fresh blood and wrapped around her abdomen from where she appeared to be bleeding profusely. Leon holstered his gun and frowned. He knew that he recognised this woman from somewhere…

"I fucking knew it…" Chris' harsh sounding voice came from behind him. In seconds Chris had pushed him aside and was striding towards her, gun still raised. "You were helping him all along weren't you"? He spat.

She looked up and Leon suddenly remembered where it was that he'd seen before.

"Ada"?

She looked at him upon hearing her name. What the hell was she doing here? Wasn't she just some woman he'd very stupidly picked up in a bar? Obviously not. He continued to stare at her, waiting for some kind of explanation.

"Leon…" She said weakly. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to use you…"

"Bullshit" Chris cut her off harshly, his gun almost to her temple now. "Of course you meant to use him"!

"What are you talking about"? Leon demanded, looking at the both of them, utterly confused. He was suddenly getting the impression that something had gone on whilst he'd been hiding in the bathroom.

"In Spain" Chris explained. "You took her home. Whilst you were in the bathroom she was snooping around, messing around on your laptop. I let her go, gave her the benefit of the doubt but now thinking about, I shouldn't have" He dug his gun into her temple. "You stole the USB didn't you bitch? And I know you did it for Wesker" He growled. "So where the fuck is he and where the fuck is Jill"? He demanded, sounding angrier than Leon had ever heard him before.

"I thought I could trust him…" Ada replied, wiping a defiant tear from her eye. "That I could…share his wealth…his power…"

"Where is he"? Chris pressed, his teeth clenched. Leon took a step forward.

"It's all a game to him…" Ada shuddered in pain as more blood stained her dress. Leon ran over, pulling Chris' gun away from her temple and shaking his head at his partner. Chris opened his mouth to argue but Leon held up his hand, demanding he keep it shut. He got down on his knees and turned his attentions to Ada. She was obviously in pain and Chris' bullish attitude wasn't going to get the necessary information out of her any faster.

"What did he do to you"? Leon asked her gently and calmly. Chris threw his hands up in the air in frustration, walking away from them. It was obviously bugging the older man that Leon didn't seem bothered that Ada had pretty much screwed him over.

"Why do you care"? He demanded.

"Because she won't be much help to us if she's dead" Leon snapped. He knew that he couldn't fully trust Ada but he also knew he'd be a lot more likely to get the answers if they did things his way.

"He said…I was no use to him now…" She gasped. "He injected me…"

"Then you're already dead" Chris spat harshly. He was pacing back and forth now, checking and re-checking his gun.

"That woman you want…Jill…she's…" Ada gasped out as she started to cough violently. Chris ran forward and grabbed her by the shoulders, starting to shake her hard.

"What? Jill's what"? He asked, sounding desperate. Ada's eyes opened wide as her head tipped back. She opened her mouth and blood spewed forth from it. Chris let go and pushed her away, yanking Leon to his feet and hauling him away. A sound like someone cracking their knuckles ricocheted off the walls as Ada bucked wildly, her dress starting to rip and tear. Her pale, exposed skin started to break too, her bones expanding and puncturing it. She let out a gut-wrenching howl of pain as her slim white shoulder split open, the skin widening to allow a wet orange orb to emerge. An eye that instantly seemed to fix on Leon.

"Shoot her before she stops mutating"! Chris shouted, opening fire. Leon used his magnum, both of them emptying magazines into the squirming, writhing mass that had once been Ada. Leon heard Chris click empty before switching to his shotgun. He moved closer, blasting rounds at almost point blank range.

"Stop"! Leon ordered. He ceased fire and Chris did the same. Ada's body was lying prone now, no longer mutating or even appearing to be breathing. The punctured and collapsed eye stared at them, blank and unseeing. She was dead. Breathing heavily, Chris and Leon started to reload their weapons. A slow clapping suddenly broke the silence.

Leon looked up and saw Albert Wesker standing at the centre of a small balcony at the back of the room. There was a set of stone steps at either side of it. Wesker was standing in the middle, clapping slowly as if he'd just witnessed a particularly amusing stage play. To him, that was probably exactly what it was. Leon felt every muscle in his body tense up.

"Why Mr Kennedy" Wesker said in an almost conversational tone. "You're still alive"! He smirked as he spoke, looking down on the them in lordly fashion, his eyes hidden behind his dark sunglasses.

"What are you talking about you mad bastard? You know he survived! You sent your little whore to steal the USB off him"! Chris shouted, his shotgun aimed at Wesker's head, his hands trembling with rage.

"Christopher! Always a pleasure." Wesker smirked once more as he strolled across the balcony, one gloved hand stroking the stone, his black boots tapping rhythmically on the floor. Leon looked over at Chris and could see the tension in his partner's body. He was frowning, glaring up at Wesker with what could only be described as pure hatred. Sweat was beginning to gather on his forehead. "You are, possibly for the first time in your life, entirely correct. Ada was most useful. At least for a brief period-"

"Until you disposed of her"! Chris interrupted, motioning towards Ada's dead body. "Now stop fucking with us and tell us where Jill is"!

"Ah, Miss Valentine" Wesker continued irritatingly as he paced. Leon felt his own hatred stab at his stomach. Chris was getting more and more wound up and it was making Leon want to charge forward and unleash every last bit of his energy onto the cruel man. "The whole reason you're here, is she not"?

"I've had enough of your bullshit"! Chris roared. He fired the shotgun but Wesker dodged it with ease using what Leon deemed to be super-human speed. It figured, Leon supposed, that if the guy was messing around with viruses, there was no reason why he wouldn't inject himself with the very best of his findings.

"Now, now Chris" Wesker chided, shaking his head and wagging a finger like you would at a naughty child. "You should know better than that. Did our meeting in Antarctica not teach you anything"?

"Just tell us where she is," Leon demanded, trying to push away his feelings of fear and intimidation. Wesker had very nearly killed him in Spain and Leon had realised just how much he was capable of and how dispensable he deemed human lives to be.

"Well since you asked so nicely…" Wesker raised his left arm slowly and clicked his fingers. A metal door behind him slid open and two tribesmen appeared. Between them, held in an arm lock, was a woman dressed in a grubby formless grey sweater and matching sweatpants. Her long brown hair was tied back and her face was pale and drawn. She didn't struggle at all, almost as if she'd learnt it was fruitless long ago. Either that or she was just too exhausted to fight anymore.

"Jill…" All of the anger in Chris' voice seemed to have melted away. Leon turned to see him looking up at Jill, an intensely worried expression fixed on his face. At the sound of her name, she looked up.

"Chris"! She gasped out. Wesker smirked, seemingly enjoying every moment as if unfolded.

"A happy reunion"! He said mockingly. He clicked his fingers again and the two tribesmen released Jill. She stumbled slightly, suddenly having to support her own weight. The tribesmen disappeared through the door. Chris and Jill were looking at each other, Chris in relief, Jill in disbelief. Wesker looked as if he was truly enjoying it. Leon however, felt confused. Wesker seemed to be playing some sort of game and it was hard to judge his next move…

Chris stared up at the balcony above, barely able to believe what he was seeing. After a year or worrying and searching, Jill was finally mere metres away and looking relatively unscathed. He no longer cared what Wesker's stupid game was. All he cared about was getting to Jill and making sure she was alright. He started to rush forward, stopping immediately when Wesker quickly grabbed her by the hair. She fell to her knees and he hauled her up brutally. He released her hair and frogmarched her down one of the staircases. Chris felt every single one of his muscles tense up, fear gnawing away at his gut.

"Don't you dare hurt her?" He snarled as Wesker stopped a couple of metres in front of them.

"Oh, I don't intend to" Wesker intoned, still wearing that self-satisfied smirk that Chris was so used to. Every fibre of his being ached to attack him, to finish things once and for all and make the evil monster pay. But he couldn't, he couldn't risk getting Jill hurt. "You know me Chris, always keeping busy with my work. But you needn't worry. I haven't infected the lovely Miss Valentine, as tempting as it was. There would be some sort of poetic justice don't you think? Surviving the horrors of the Spencer Mansion only to end up as a mindless zombie herself"? Wesker chuckled as if he'd made a particularly witty joke before he continued. "But that sort of thing is very much below me. But listen to me, waffling such irrelevant nonsense when what we really need to discuss is the white elephant in the room"

Chris glared at his former captain, utterly confused. It wasn't until Wesker's shaded gaze turned to Leon that Chris understood. He felt the blood in his veins turn to ice.

"Terribly sorry to have ignored you Mr Kennedy" Wesker crooned. "It must be difficult for you, feeling so out of place. We all have something in common whereas you, sadly, have little to no connection. Of course, you did survive the horrors of Raccoon City but it is of little consequence. I have no personal interest if your life which is why you shall help me provide a demonstration of one of my particular favourite accomplishments" Without warning, Wesker shoved Jill hard, forcing Chris to catch her. Chris wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Wesker turned on his heel, stalking back up the stairs. When he reached the top, he turned his attentions back to Leon.

"Whatever you're thinking of doing, I promise you that if you do anything to him, I'll tear your heart out with my bare hands" Chris snarled threateningly.

"Quiet Christopher" Wesker replied. He held up his right hand and made a gripping motion. Leon let out a cry of pain and clutched his abdomen, violently winching as if something was writhing around inside of him. "Excellent" Wesker continued triumphantly. "I knew my own creation would surpass the skills of even the finest surgeon" He made a big show of looking at his watch. "I would explain further but sadly I'm out of time" He gave Chris one last smirk before leaving through the door, chuckling as he went.

"Leon"! Chris let go of Jill and hurried over to Leon who was hunched over, coughing and retching. Chris felt the panic rising, unsure of what to do. He tried to reach out for Leon to touch him but Leon suddenly grabbed his wrist. In less than a second, the younger man twisted Chris' arm up behind his back and pushed him away with what seemed to be a very unnatural strength.

Chris hit the stone floor, landing heavily on his side, feeling winded. He could only watch in horror as Leon leapt towards Jill, wrapping his hands around her neck tightly. Jill kicked out and struggled but Leon didn't seem to notice. Chris hauled himself to his feet, staggering a little as he forced himself to breathe properly. His side screamed in pain but he pushed his body onwards.

"Leon, what are you doing"? He said as Jill continued to struggle in Leon's tight grip, her breath coming in choked gasps as her face started to go red. "Leon please"! Chris' voice was getting desperate. What the hell had Wesker done to him? Jill's lips were turning blue. He needed to stop Leon and fast but there was no way in hell that he could possibly hurt him. "Whatever he's done to you, fight it"! He urged. "Please! Don't make me hurt you"! He pleaded. He could feel himself really starting to panic now. He knew that this was exactly what Wesker wanted, for him to have to deal with his two partners fighting it out. Did Wesker want him to choose? To kill Leon or let Jill die? He knew he couldn't do either.

He saw Jill kick out again, finally making contact with Leon's crotch. Leon released her instantly, staggering backwards, clutching his crotch. Jill seized the opportunity and swept his legs. Leon crashed to the floor hard.

"Stop it"! Chris ordered.

"Chris, he's dangerous"! Jill replied. "He's infected"! He said, advancing on Leon once more. She wasn't armed but Chris knew just how proficient she was at hand-to-hand combat.

"I know! I know! Just please don't hurt him"! Chris begged. He ran over to Leon who was now curled up in the foetal position, groaning softly. He gingerly put a hand on Leon's shoulder.

"Leon"? He said gently. He could feel himself shaking and wondered if Leon could feel it too.

"That kick…was certainly something…" Leon replied through gritted teeth. "What happened"?

"You attacked me," Jill answered, kneeling down beside Chris, her arm snaking around his waist. Chris relaxed into her gratefully. Leon seemed to be back to his normal self. He stayed curled up, obviously still in pain from the assault on his genitals.

"Wesker's infected me"?

"Looks like it" Jill said gently. "But I don't understand it. You're not mutating like the others but he still seemed to have control over your actions"

Chris unwound himself from Jill and helped get Leon into a sitting position keeping hold of his shoulders, partly to support him, partly to reassure himself that Leon was alright again. At least for now.

Leon shook his head in an attempt to clear it, trying his best to ignore the pain in his groin. He felt very aware of Chris' hands on his shoulders. Jill was looking at him in a concerned way. He felt as if he'd just woken up from a long sleep and wasn't quite sure what was what. The last thing he remembered was looking at Wesker before getting the overwhelming urge to wrap his hands around Jill's throat. He had a rough idea of what he was infected with from reading the reports on the USB. His actions and his inability to control them matched up perfectly with the effects of the Plagas virus. It would grow within him and the bigger it got, the less control he would have. Eventually he would become a mindless zombie. The thought scared him to death but he knew there was no use in losing his head now. His intense training and taught him that he needed to approach each situation with logic. Logically if there was a virus, there would be a cure. The trouble would be finding it before time ran out. Not that he was going to tell Chris any of this. His partner had only just been reunited with Jill. Leon couldn't and wouldn't put him through any sort of worry. The best thing to do would be to play dumb.

"What I don't get is how Wesker's infected him," Chris was saying. Leon became acutely aware of the fact that Chris and Jill were talking over his head. Chris was still holding onto his shoulders. The older man had a point though. That was the one part of it that Leon didn't understand. How the hell had Wesker managed to infect him? He'd only met the man twice and both times he hadn't been close enough for Wesker to inject him with something. Unless, of course, there was another way…

"I think I have an idea" He heard Jill reply. "Wesker wasn't exactly quiet about his plans whilst he kept me in captivity. He's developing bullets that fire embryos of a virus called Plagas into his enemies, turning them to his cause" She explained.

"He shot Leon back in Spain" Chris said darkly.

"There's a flaw in the plan" Jill continued. "He can only control the Plagas embryo when he's within a certain distance."

"Which is probably how Leon managed to fight it" Chris mused.

"Exactly" Jill nodded. "Wesker's got a research lab out in Antarctica which includes research in anti-viruses. That'd be your best chance of getting a cure or finding a way to kill the embryo. It's just, if the embryo has started to develop, it might be beyond what an anti-gen can do…so there's gotta be another way to…remove it."

"Antarctica"? Chris' tone of voice changed again, his grip on Leon's shoulders getting even tighter. He was going to have bruises there. "Do you think he's rebuilt the facility I destroyed in ninety-eight"?

"Listen guys" Leon finally interrupted; he pushed Chris' hands off his shoulders and got to his feet, the pain in his groin now only a dull ache. "Will you stop talking about me like I'm already dead"? He said it lightly, intending it to be a joke. Judging by the dark expression on Chris' face, it hadn't been received as such.

"Don't even joke about that." The older man warned. Leon shrugged. He had to joke about it, if he didn't he might very well start to freak out.

"We'll deal with whatever happens when we face it" Leon replied. "You two haven't seen each other for over a year. You could at least act like you're pleased to see each other before talking business"

"He's right" Jill was smiling. There were unshed tears glistening in her eyes. "It's so good to see you again," She said, her voice cracking. In seconds Chris was on her, his arms wrapped around her small waist, crushing her slim frame against his bulk.

"I knew you weren't dead," He mumbled into her shoulder.

Leon smiled at the reunion but also felt a little uncomfortable as if he were a voyeur on a private moment between a couple. He shifted awkwardly from one foot to another as Chris and Jill continued to speak, words muffled by their crushing embrace. He cleared his throat.

"I'm gonna leave you guys to catch up and check out the rest of this room" He said awkwardly. The room wasn't that big and there wasn't that much to examine. He supposed he could at least check out the balcony or the door for booby traps.

"You don't need to" Chris replied, finally moving his head off Jill's shoulder. Leon shook his head.

"It's fine, just enjoy the moment"

It was Jill who broke the hug first, smiling and wiping the tears from her eyes as she did so. Chris wanted to hold on to her longer, just to reassure himself that she really was there and that she really was alright. It felt like the past year of his life had been working towards this moment and now that it was here he wanted to hang onto it.

"I'm fine Chris" Jill said with her reassuring smile. Chris wasn't wholly convinced. Jill had always been on the slim side but her year in captivity had rendered her even slimmer. There were dark circles under her eyes and her skin was pale and greasy.

"I never gave up on you, you know that?" Chris replied adamantly.

"Of course you didn't" Jill hit him lightly on the shoulder. "I just hope you didn't drive yourself crazy in the process" She looked over at Leon who seemed to be studying the balcony with interest. "I'm glad you're working together again"

"Me too actually" Chris said with a smile. He glanced back at Jill who was watching him with a knowing expression on her face. He'd known her long enough to know that look. It usually spelled trouble for him. He sighed heavily. "What"?

"Well I was just wondering how long you've loved him" She replied with an easy shrug as if she'd just pointed out the most obvious thing in the world. Chris could've cursed her. She'd always been rather astute when it came to figuring out people's emotions. It was reassuringly yet immensely annoying at the same time. Jill liked being right almost as much as Chris hated her being right. He folded his arms across his chest and stuck his nose up at her, shrugging lightly.

"Whatever gave you that idea"? He asked, adopting the haughty tone that Leon liked to use in these sorts of situations.

"Oh come on Chris" Jill rolled her eyes. "It's obvious! I can tell by the way you look at him! I mean, please, tell me YOU'VE worked it out"?

"Maybe" He said petulantly. He wasn't exactly pouting as such but it was a damn near thing. Jill laughed.

"You love him"! She said excitedly. "I knew it! Have you told him"?

"Ssh"! Chris warned. Leon wasn't a million miles away. "He doesn't know." He whispered.

"I said have you told him" Jill repeated, using that annoying tone she used to use when she wanted him to do the washing up or pick his smelly underpants up from the bedroom floor. "Not does he know. Of course he knows" She rolled her eyes again. "Unless, of course, he's as hopeless as you"

"How am I supposed to tell him"? Chris asked before what Jill had said really sunk in. He paused and frowned. "You think he likes me too"? He couldn't help but hide the smile on his face. He knew he sounded like a lovesick teenager but damn it, Leon made him feel like a lovesick teenager. Ever since he'd come to the realisation back at the shack he'd wanted to tell Leon and, apart from the terrible timing, the other thing that had been stopping him was the simple fact that he didn't think Leon would feel the same way. Their relationship had taken so many twists and turns since they'd first met back in Spain. Chris didn't seem himself as the type of guy that Leon would be remotely interested in. He was a drinker, a smoker, a slob, an uncultured, unsophisticated oaf. Hardly the type of man Leon would see as an ideal mate.

"You're not as terrible as what you think you are Chris" Jill said, as if she'd read his mind. She smiled at him through her tired eyes. "You might not be the easier person to live with but it's not about whether you leave your pants in the fridge to cool them down or whether you like to smell your own farts. It's about what you're like as a person. You're the kindest, most loving, bravest person I know. They're going to be the things that matter to him and if he hasn't seen them yet then he will do" She stroked his cheek. "He can't not."

"I'm so glad I found you again" Chris pulled Jill into another hug. He'd known that he'd missed her but he hadn't realised quite how much. Although they'd lost any loving feelings they might've shared, he still considered Jill to be one of his best friends.

"You need to tell him" Jill replied. "Maybe not now but soon. It might be what you both need to get each other through this"

"You're not coming"? Chris asked, feeling the worry leap back into his stomach. If Jill didn't come along, he had no way of knowing whether she would be alright or not.

"I can't Chris," She said, sounding sorry. "I'm too weak and I'll only slow you down. I can get myself back to North America. I'll try to get to the West African BSAA headquarters and arrange back-up" Her expression turned serious. "You're going to need it if you're going after Wesker"

"There's a small village not far from here" Chris replied. "We met a guy called Josh who might be able to help you" He pulled Jill into a hug once more. "Look after yourself" He said gently yet firmly.

"Right back at you" Jill said, hugging him back just as tightly.

Leon, obviously sensing that the time was right to return to the conversation, approached Jill, patting her on the back lightly and slightly awkwardly. She smiled, releasing Chris and shaking Leon's hand.

"It was nice to finally meet you." She said with a smile.

"Sorry about the attack." Leon replied apologetically with a hint of embarrassment. Jill shook her head and waved her hand, indicating that it was forgiven.

"Okay guys" Jill wiped her eyes and gave Chris one last hug. "You two need to get going," She continued importantly. "The passage that Wesker left through leads to a hangar"

"You think he's going to Antarctica"? Chris asked, a cold feeling settling in his stomach. He wasn't relishing the idea of revisiting Antarctica and all the memories that he associated with it but he knew that they needed to stop Wesker once and for all. He was going to have to put his feelings on hold for the sake of the greater good. Something that, by now, he was very used to doing.

"Probably" Jill nodded. "He's playing a game with the two of you. He knows that I'd tell you about it. It's all part of his plan. You two need to look after each other" She said this last part significantly, looking at Chris as she spoke. Chris knew what she meant. He vowed that as soon as the moment presented itself, he was going to tell Leon exactly how he felt whether the younger man wanted to hear it or not.

END OF CHAPTER FOUR.


	5. Chapter 5

Notes:- Chapter five! Um, yeah, that's all I have to say.

The Facility Aftermath

Chapter Five

Leaving Jill behind had been one of the hardest things that Chris had had to do. She'd reassured him countless times that she was going to be alright but Chris knew that he wouldn't feel entirely happy until she was back in America and in Carlos' arms. At least she was no longer in Wesker's twisted clutches. Now, however, it was Leon who had entered into the firing line. Chris had been worried about the younger man before but that worry had increased ten-fold now that he was infected.

Chris was glad that he hadn't read the reports on the USB they'd liberated from the Spanish facility. If he had any real idea of what the Plagas infection would do to Leon he knew that he'd end up a gibbering mess of no use to anyone. The worst thing he could imagine was not having hope for a cure. At least if he stayed ignorant he always had that hope. He didn't care what anyone else said; in this case ignorance definitely was bliss. Or at least the closest he could get to bliss given the current circumstances.

The door that Wesker had escaped through led to a stone passageway that seemed to go on for miles. They walked for at least fifteen or twenty minutes, the passageway taking a slight yet noticeable incline, which told Chris, they were heading back to the surface.

"Would it have killed them to build a lift at this end too"? Leon asked in what was obviously an attempt at lightening the mood. Chris hadn't spoken much since they'd left Jill, which he figured was probably a bit weird for Leon. When he didn't reply right away he heard Leon sigh, the younger man's hand wrapping around his forearm. "Look, stop walking a second" He ordered. Chris stopped and turned to face his partner. Leon was looking at him, a serious expression on his features but there was a softer edge to it too, something that Chris wasn't used to, at least not from Leon. "I know you think that I'm cold and unaffected by what's going on around me but I'll level with you. I'm scared right now. There's something in my body that I don't fully understand and we have no possible way of knowing what's going to happen. But we still have a job to do. We need to put an end to this now so that this psycho hurts no one else. We've found Jill and we know she's alright and I know that was what was really worrying you. You need to focus if we're going to do this. It's not much of a comfort for me to say that what will be will be but it's a fact that we have to accept. We don't know what we're going into so I need to know that you've got my back"

"Of course I've got your back" Chris replied defensively with a frown. He knew what Leon was getting at. Him being moody and quiet and worrying non-stop wasn't going to make things any better and they would be totally screwed if he lost his focus but he still couldn't help it. He loved Leon and the fact that the younger man had such an uncertain future made it almost impossible for him not to worry. But if he let himself get distracted by it it could end up getting both of them killed. He sighed heavily. He was far from happy with the situation but he had to accept that, for now at least, that was the way things were.

"Good to hear" Leon nodded. "Now can you please go back to the crass, annoying oaf I'm used to"? His words were teasing, his tone almost fond. It was enough to make Chris think that he might stand a chance after all.

The incline of the passageway ended with a small stone archway. Bright sunlight shone in through the hole and they could clearly see the blue sky. They walked through the archway, which led out onto a large dusty plain. Looking behind him Chris could see that the archway had been cut out of a large rock face almost as if they'd just come out of the foot of a cliff.

The plain itself resembled a very basic air base. There were a couple of large grey hangars to their left, both of which had the doors wide open. Chris could clearly see that one of them was empty and that the other one contained the dark shape of a plane although it was hard to make out given the shadows inside. To the right was a tiny square cabin, which was probably used as an office and attached to it, a small control tower. Straight down the middle of the plain was the narrow asphalt runway, cracked in the baking sun. It was then that Chris noticed the dust trails that ran the length of it. He looked to the sky and saw a black blob in the distance, slowly moving away.

"What are you betting that Wesker's aboard that"? Leon asked, shielding his eyes from the sun as he watched the plane disappear into the distance. Chris nodded.

"We're going to have to follow him" He replied. Without any further warning to his partner, he set off running, hurtling towards the hangar. He heard Leon start to run too, both of them running full tilt, not wanting to waste a second.

They reached the hangar and found that it contained a long distance hauler plane that resembled a refitted bomber. It didn't come as a great surprise that the door to the cockpit was unlocked.

"Do you know how to fly this thing"? Leon asked as they climbed aboard and took their seats in the cockpit. The plane had obviously been around a long time, as it smelt musty and old. A fine layer of dust covered the cracked brown leather of the seats, which had gone shiny with age.

"I think so" Chris replied uncertainly. "I've only ever flown fighter jets before" He added as he tried his best to acclimatise himself with the controls. Actually getting the damn thing up in the air would be the hardest part. Once it was up he would probably be able to pilot it with little to no problems.

"Here's hoping the skills are transferable," Leon said, leaning back in his chair. He said nothing more, obviously sensing that Chris needed to concentrate. Chris ran his hands over the control panel, getting used to the lay out. Eventually he managed to get the plane powered up. Fumbling with the unfamiliar controls they taxied out of the hangar smoothly and onto the runway. Chris eased the throttle forward and they started to pick up speed. He wiped the film of sweat from his forehead.

The plane left the runway and within moments they were in the air. Chris finally felt that he could breathe a sigh of relief. He couldn't help having a little boast as he relaxed back into his chair.

"Well I think you'll have to agree that that was a show of superior piloting skills," He said, cracking his knuckles, a gloating smile on his face. Leon shook his head and rolled his eyes but smiled back at him.

"Now Mr Top Gun we just need to know which direction to go in," He replied smoothly. Chris felt his heart sink. He hadn't actually thought of that when they'd decided to follow Wesker's plane. He'd had a good head start and now there was no sign of the other aircraft. Jill had theorised that he would be going to Antarctica but there was no guarantee that it was where he was actually going. He supposed they could head for Antarctica but he wasn't entirely sure of the directions, or whereabouts in Antarctica to head for. It was another one of his plans that he'd just leapt into without fully thinking through first.

"Well" He licked his lips and tried his hardest not to look sheepish. "I'm not entirely sure of the directions"

"Really"? Leon raised an eyebrow. "Considering we're going to Antarctica I would imagine the direction you need to go in is south," He continued as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I take it you mean you're not sure of the bearings"?

Chris snorted, wrong-footed. Once again Leon had managed to make him look well and truly stupid. Well, he thought, he wasn't putting up with any of that. Refusing to meet Leon's eye, he turned his attentions to the control panel once more, clearing his throat before he spoke.

"Excellent" He said in a self-important tone. "You passed the test," He continued haughtily with the air of someone who knew exactly what he was doing. "Bearings is the correct aero-nautical terminology"

"Nautical means at sea-" Leon started to interrupt but Chris cut him off quickly, slightly irritated now.

"God do you know everything"?

He was about to attempt to further bluff his way out of the situation when the bulkhead between the cockpit and the cargo hold slid closed with a metallic click. Leon leapt from his seat and tried to pull it open but to no avail.

"Locked" He said darkly, suddenly having to grab hold of the back of his chair as the plane rocked violently. Chris stared at the control panel as the controls and levers locked into position.

"We're on autopilot." He said as Leon sat back down. He sighed. He should've known that this was just another step in Wesker's complicated game. "The same thing happened to Claire when she was heading to the Antarctica facility" He leant back in his chair. "There's nothing we can do about it." He continued with an air of frustration. Being a pawn in Wesker's games was becoming extremely tiresome and he couldn't wait to end it.

Leon stared out of the plane's cockpit window, admiring the clear blue skies for a moment. For the first time since he could remember he wasn't entirely sure what he was going into. Dennis had given him a rough idea of what to expect from the facility in Spain but this Antarctica complication was another thing entirely. He turned away from Africa's skies to look over at his partner. It was funny how easily that name came to him now. It wasn't so long ago that referring to Chris Redfield as his partner would've had him checking himself into the nearest psychiatric ward. In these moments, lost in his own thoughts, he felt bad; almost guilty for the way he'd treated Chris in the beginning. He'd become so bitter because of Krauser that he wanted to disassociate himself from people. It was so much easier to push someone away than it was to pull them closer. It was easy to disengage from a stranger but not from Chris.

But he was done with that. Krauser was dead. He didn't want to push Chris away. He very much wanted to pull him closer. He'd spent many a sleepless night imagining being beside Chris in bed with Chris saying and indeed doing the most wonderful things. A slight blush crept over his cheeks as he was reminded of a particularly filthy fantasy. To cover his embarrassment, he spoke quickly.

"I thought you hated prolonged silence."

"Sorry…I was just thinking." Chris replied. He was picking at the cracked leather on the arm of the pilot's chair.

"As a not so wise man once said to me, penny for them"? Leon offered. That at least brought a smile to the older man's face. It faded away in an instant, allowing Leon to be able to hazard a guess at what Chris had been thinking about. "You're thinking about Wesker aren't you"?

"It feels like I haven't thought of much else for years." Chris replied darkly. He was scraping at the leather now, his fingers, caked in blood and dirt, pushing into the material and revealing the foam underneath. Leon waited patiently, knowing Chris would speak when he was ready to do so. "I guess it's time I should tell you more about it huh"?

"You don't have to." Leon shrugged. He ran a hand through his hair and momentarily wished that he had access to a shower. He probably looked as filthy as he felt right now.

"I want to" Chris said. "I read your personal file so I feel like I sort of owe you" He rolled the foam from the armrest between his fingers. "I told you that Wesker was the S.T.A.R.S captain didn't I"? Leon nodded, not wanted to break the flow of Chris' speech. "I really respected him. He seemed like he knew what he was doing and could be relied upon in a crisis" He shook his head as though he was still marvelling as his own disbelief. "He knew what he was doing alright. He completely fucked us over all for Umbrella's sake. My colleagues and friends died in that mansion" He was tearing at the foam now. "They were killed in the most brutal ways you could imagine and all because he wanted power. It was his intention to finish us all off but luckily four of us survived that night. When we'd escaped and the dust had settled we all thought he was dead. I saw a Tyrant rip through his body. There's no coming back from that. At least that's what we all thought. But it was bittersweet Y'know"? Chris sighed heavily. He stared ahead, out of the cockpit window, looking at the skies that stretched out endlessly ahead of them. "We spent our time after that incident working to stop Umbrella. I was in Europe with Barry when I got an e-mail from some kid called Steve telling me that Claire was holed up on some island. By the time I got there she was gone. The whole island was in ruins and I had no fucking clue whether she was dead or alive. I tracked her whereabouts down to this facility in Antarctica and who should turn up? Wesker. Alive and fucking well" He thumped the arm of his seat hard, sending dust flying into the air. Leon wanted to speak and offer some words of comfort but he didn't want to distract Chris now that he appeared to be in full flow.

"He beat me down. Literally. Almost killed me. But at least I managed to save Claire. She was messed up after that. Had to have god knows how many therapy sessions to get over what happened. That kid, Steve, he died" He finally met Leon's eyes and Leon was shocked at what he saw. He'd never seen Chris look so old and tired before. Before he could really think about what he was doing he twisted in his seat and took hold of Chris' hand, squeezing it hard. He stayed, holding on, as Chris continued to speak.

"You wanna know why I never gave up on you all that time you were treating me like shit and doing your level best to push me away"? Leon nodded, feeling a pang of guilt. "It's because I can understand why you acted the way you did when we first met. As long as Wesker is alive the people I let get close to me will always get hurt. Only I don't find it so easy to push people I care about away. Other people don't get the impact of what he's done. You never knew him as your Captain. You only knew him as the twisted freak that shot you. I trusted that man with my life Leon and all he wanted to do was extinguish it" He was gripping onto Leon's hand now, so much so that it was almost painful. "I don't understand why he doesn't just go after me since I'm the one he wants. Saying that, I should know better. Wesker always likes to play with his prey and I'm no different. Just look at what he's doing to us now"

"He wants to break you" Leon replied, finally feeling able to talk. "You're his biggest threat so he doesn't just want to kill you. He wants to destroy you"

"At least Claire and Jill are safe" Chris said. "It's just you I have to worry about" He said it warmly, almost fondly if Leon chose to interpret it as such. Leon stared at their joined hands. It was comforting and yet painful at the same time. The longer they held onto each other, the more Leon didn't want to let go. Chris cared about him, that much was obvious, but the older man was straight. It was clear from the way that he talked about his friends that he loved them deeply and had an intense drive to protect them. Leon couldn't let himself get caught up in what Chris was saying and allow himself to think that it was anything more than that.

"You don't have to worry about me" Leon was lightly stroking the top of Chris' hand with his thumb. The movement seemed to be calming the older man a little.

"I care about you Leon so of course I'll worry about you" He saw Chris swallow hard as if he was really upset and trying his best to remain composed. "Especially now he's infected you"

"We agreed that you weren't going to get upset about that" Leon replied firmly. His thumb tracing little circles on his partner's dirty skin. Chris was watching the movement, his expression a heart-breaking mixture of sadness, anger and worry.

"Oh yeah" Chris snorted. "'cos if the roles were reversed you'd just shrug it off." He sighed heavily now seemingly unable to meet Leon's eyes at all. "I don't want you to die…"

Maybe it was the fact that Chris looked as if he was close to tears or maybe it was his own fear that this infection could kill him, Leon didn't know. But at that moment Leon was out of his seat and wrapping his arms around the older man, pulling him into a tight hug. Chris was quick to respond, hugging him back hard. Leon wasn't really sure what happened next but he kissed Chris. It was a timid, dry-lipped kiss but Chris kissed him back tenderly. They stayed like that for a few moments, kissing easily, before Leon finally broke away. Chris was grinning at him with that clumsy, lop-sided grin that Leon remembered so clearly from Spain.

"Score" Chris said.

"Wow. You kiss men pretty good for a straight guy" Leon replied, putting on his best self-satisfied smirk. He expected Chris to be wrong-footed by this remark but the older man took it in his stride, shrugging easily.

"So I'm obviously Bi." He answered. "I realised a while back" He leaned in to kiss Leon again but Leon held up a hand, stopping him in his tracks. Chris looked at him questioningly.

"Ok" Leon nodded. "That just leaves one question. What was that? Do you actually want to be with me or was that just your unique form of stress relief? Y'know like, fuck I'm stressed so I'll kiss a guy"? His tone was light and joking but inside he felt deadly serious. He'd thought about this moment so much in the past year and had convinced himself that it was never going to happen. Now that it actually had, he needed to know where he stood. More importantly, he needed to know if he was going to get hurt.

"I want to be with you." Chris replied simply.

"I've waited for that for ages." Leon said, feeling his heart pounding in his chest. He wanted to tell Chris exactly how long, how much he'd thought about him over the past year but he didn't want to rush into things.

Chris felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He wanted to tell Leon that not only had he realised he was bisexual and attracted to him but that he loved him too but he thought that it might be too much too soon. He was inexperienced and clumsy when it came to relationships and he didn't want to do anything to jeopardize this one. He couldn't wait to get back to America with Leon and the pair of them could be a proper couple. There was only one person standing in the way of that right now. More than ever he wanted to finish it. He wanted to kiss Leon, over and over, but that could wait. They had more pressing matters at hand.

"I was thinking earlier that if I could find the controls for the autopilot I might be able to put it out of action" He said. The autopilot had been annoying him ever since it kicked in. It was slow and gave him the feeling of being out of control of the situation. It forced them to sit back and land wherever Wesker had chosen it to.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Leon said.

"Why not? We have no idea whereabouts we'll be landing. We could be landing into a trap for all we know" He replied. He got down on his knees by the control console and started pulling at one of the metal panels. He was faced by a mass of different coloured wires. He hoped that Leon wasn't watching him too closely as he had absolutely no clue what he was doing. Sure, he'd been in the Air Force but that didn't mean he had any knowledge of the inner workings of a plane. Something that he had a feeling he was about to find out.

"I hope you know what you're doing" Leon's voice startled him somewhat and he almost banged his head on the console.

"Of course I do" Chris replied, playing a quick game of Eenie Meenie Miney Moe before grabbing hold of a thick red wire. He tugged it hard and it snapped, giving Chris a mild electrocution as his fingers came into contact with the exposed copper.

"That hurt"? Leon asked. Judging by the tone of his voice, he was struggling not to laugh.

"Course not" Chris lied. Since pulling at the wire seemed to have no effect, he turned his attentions to a thicker black wire. He pulled at it but it wouldn't give. He grabbed his combat knife and started to saw at it.

"That's probably not a good idea," Leon said.

"Of course it is" Chris replied irritably. He wasn't a complete doofus. Eventually the wire snapped and there was a sort of clunk noise that was barely audible over the noise of the plane. Chris stood up and checked the control panel. The fuel gauge was slowly starting to drop towards the red zone. Chris turned round to look at Leon, a sheepish look on his face as Leon looked at the gauge. "Oops" He said weakly.

"Oops"? Leon glared at him; obviously barely containing his rage at what he probably thought was another perfect example of his stupidity. "I survive Raccoon City, Brazil and Spain only to get hotwired to death by Chris Redfield".

"Sorry"? Chris offered, knowing it sounded pretty pathetic. Leon obviously thought so too as he shook his head, raising his hands towards the ceiling as if he were giving up on him.

"You will be"

The planes engines began to sputter and die, each engine failure causing a red light to flash on the dashboard. The plane began to lose height quickly. Chris could only watch, completely helpless as the engines, now completely out of fuel, gave up and died. The plane descended rapidly, heading towards a sprawling snow covered base.

As the plane broke through a low bank of mist, Chris realised that they were now a couple of thousand feet away from ground level. In the distance he could just about make out an airstrip, which is where they would've probably landed had he not messed with the wiring. Closer to the airstrip, which was about a mile away, were lots of low, flat, featureless structures that were almost buried in massive snowdrifts. Those however, were the least of his problems. The plane was heading for a tall cylindrical building that appeared to be completely featureless aside from a small network of steel pipes running from its roof to the ground. Leon was back in his chair, gripping onto the armrests, his eyes closed, obviously bracing himself for the impending impact. Chris breathed a sigh of relief, as the plane appeared to just miss the cylindrical building.

All of a sudden there was a loud metallic clang and the plane was ripped around, spinning to the right as the right wing clipped the building. Now minus a wing, the plane spun crazily like a hundred-tonne discus. The world outside of the cockpit blurred into white nothingness as Chris and Leon were slammed against the left wall by the centrifugal force. The cockpit windows cracked and almost instantly frosted over as a loud siren started to blare out.

A gut wrenching halt smashed them painfully against the ceiling before throwing them to the metal floor as the plane smashed sideways into another building. Chris got to his feet slowly and gingerly. He quickly felt his head and his torso, checking for any signs of blood. His hands came away clean. He felt a little winded and he knew that he was going to have a lot of painful bruising. He carefully lifted up his BSAA t-shirt and he could see them already flowering across his stomach and chest. The cold air hit his skin and revived him a little.

It looked as if they'd crashed into some kind of cabin like building. The left hand wall was broken in and was no longer recognisable as a wall. Broken concrete and what appeared to be bits of scaffolding had piled in through the huge gaping hole from where the wall had been.

The cold air was whistling in through the twisted cockpit, which no longer had any glass in the window. Chris took a few steps forward, his head and stomach complaining at the sudden movement. He spotted Leon at the other side of the wreckage, laying face down beneath the twisted remains of the co-pilot's chair. He wasn't moving but Chris decided not to panic. He moved slowly over to his partner, the cold making his fingers feel numb. He silently cursed himself for not pointing out the stupidity of travelling straight from one of the hottest places on earth to one of the coldest. He'd been so consumed with catching Wesker that he hadn't even thought about it. Perhaps Wesker had counted on them to make such a rushed decision, letting the continent's weather weakened them before they even got started. His body wanted nothing but to curl up and try its best to retain heat.

He forced himself forwards, trying to ignore his stiffening muscles, and quickly checked to see if he'd lost any ammo. He rubbed the skin of his exposed upper arms, finding that he couldn't feel them at all. He was by Leon's side now; the younger man was obviously unconscious. He slowly and carefully stooped to pick him up, hefting aside the mangled seat that had Leon pinned. He lifted Leon quite easily into his numb shoulders and looked around for the easiest way to escape. Leon's limbs felt like chunks of ice and he knew he needed to get to somewhere warmer quickly.

The bulkhead leading to the cargo hold was bent in its frame and appeared to be connected only on one warped side nearest the impacted side of the plane. He did his best and gave it a hard kick but not hard enough. His thighs felt like jelly. He tried again, harder this time, the condensation from his own breath beginning to freeze on his lip. The door groaned and then lopsidedly dropped out of the frame. It clanged heavily against the metal grating of the floor and slid away from him, telling him that the plane was on a slight slope.

A gust of frigid wind blasted his face as he stepped through the bulkhead's frame. He tried his best to shield Leon's face from the worst of it. The metal of the plane had already becoming surprisingly slippery. He grabbed some nearby cargo netting at his side and used it to slowly ease himself down the slope towards the busted open cargo bay door.

Outside, he could see the worst of the crash in the bright sunshine. Set against a perfectly clear pale blue sky was the wreckage of the plane, its nose angled slightly up, with its left hand side embedded in a grey concrete building of considerable length. As far as he could see, it was only one storey high. He couldn't see any sort of entrance, which meant that there had probably been one where the plane had crashed. Behind him was a chain link fence that had 'high voltage' signs plastered all over it. Chris figured that it probably wasn't the best idea to try that way just in case the fence was on. It was connected to another inaccessible hangar like structure on the other side.

He shifted Leon's weight on his shoulders, supporting him easily. As quickly as he could in the debris-peppered snowdrifts, he made his way around the length of the plane. He didn't feel like he was thinking anymore, that his drive to gain shelter from the maddening cold was becoming a single-minded desire. His body complained bitterly, screaming at him to stop and that didn't he know a t-shirt isn't what you should wear in these conditions? He ignored it, pushing himself forwards. Leon needed him to get him somewhere safe and warm and that was what he was going to do. His superiors in the Air Force had always said his need to protect would be his undoing.

He searched along the length of the closest building for a point of entry. A door, a window, some kind of hole or shutter, anything! He rounded the corner, neatly dodging the rubble and glass that was scattered around him. Just in front of him was a door! He pushed his rapidly failing limbs as fast as they would move. Get Leon to safety. Got to look after him. Got to make sure he's okay. He slumped against the frozen metal door, fumbling at the latch with numb fingers attached to a hand that felt like it was wearing a boxing glove.

It opened with little manipulation, leading into a dim corridor as plain and featureless as the exterior had been. Chris stumbled in, using the last of his might to slam the door shut behind him. The howling of the wind ceasing immediately, the only noise his shuddering breath. The corridor, which ran on for a good ten metres or so before hooking left, wasn't well lit but wasn't as cold as the outside either. He guessed there was, at the very least, some rudimentary heating system. A white notice board on his right was empty but enough to tell him that people worked here. Whether they were around or not wasn't his concern. He still needed to find somewhere safe to attend to Leon.

First was a door on his left. He tried it to find it opened easily but quickly slammed it again when he was hit by a blast of the biting wind. It had been, before the crash, someone's office. The plane had obliterated the wall, scattering furnishings and paperwork across the room. He continued further down the corridor, cautious but knowing there wasn't a lot he could do to defend himself whilst carrying Leon over his shoulder and in what was probably the early stages of hypothermia. His wits and reactions would be slow, easy for any would be attacker to use to his or her advantage. He came to another door, this time on his right and opened it, hoping for the best.

It was as non-descript as the office had been, but this time a lot more inviting. A bar heater was plugged into the corner providing a welcome rush of heat as soon as he'd opened the door. He carried Leon through and set him down on a worn grey sofa. It had obviously seen a lot of use over the years and had a couple of dubious looking stains but it looked comfortable and it was likely going to be the best they were going to get. Chris slowly and carefully laid Leon down, resting his partner's head one of the scuffed arms. He wiped Leon's frosty hair away from his forehead, exposing a small gash, before planting a gentle kiss onto the exposed skin, his lips barely feeling the contact but needing it anyway. The blood had hardened, almost frozen, leading back to the younger man's hairline. He was still freezing to the touch and stirred slightly in his semi foetal position as Chris gently laid another kiss on the ice-cold skin.

A round table took up the centre of the room, a couple of empty mugs on top and two white plastic chairs at either side of it. In the far corner, nearest the door that they had come in through was a small round side table, seemingly out of place, standing on three ornate mahogany legs, topped with a heavy iron typewriter. He didn't really look around the rest of the room, his mind on other things, more important things, like making Leon better. As Leon stirred behind him, Chris turned his attention to the bar heater. He moved over to it and checked the length of its flex, before picking it up, the hot metal casing burning hot in his icy hands, and moving it to the floor by the sofa, angling it upwards towards Leon.

Chris knelt beside the sofa, pulling a basic first aid kit out of his hip pack. He doused a sterile gauze in rubbing alcohol and applied it carefully to Leon's cut forehead. The split in the younger man's skin was fairly minor but looked painful, with crystallised blood along the edges of the gash. As Chris gently dabbed at the frozen blood, Leon moaned slightly in pain and a horrible wave of guilt washed over him. Leon wouldn't be like this, bleeding and in pain if he, Chris, had just left the damn plane controls alone. What the hell did he think the plane was going to do other than guide itself in to land safely at the airstrip? If Wesker had just wanted to kill him outright with such a 'traditional' method then he'd have done it years ago. He hadn't been thinking clearly, feeling awkward after their kiss because he'd wanted to tell Leon how much he loved him. So he'd barrelled in to this stupid mistake that had almost cost them their lives plus advertising their arrival at the facility to boot. He couldn't afford to keep making stupid mistakes like this. If they were going to get rid of Wesker once and for all he would need to up his game. He worked slowly, his hands warmer now but still hindered by their exposure to the cold as he applied Steri-strips to the gash before finishing off with a cover of fresh gauze and some tape to hold it in place.

He cupped Leon's cheek in his palm, pleased to find that the close proximity of the heater was working. It was also heating his own body up as he sat with his back to it. Leon's hips and legs still felt cold so Chris started to rub them, realising just how much his own arms were aching. They felt bruised and battered, most likely from the impacts he'd made as they were thrown around in the smashed up cockpit. All in all he was a lot better off than Leon though. He tried to push down another wave of the crippling guilt as he continued to rub Leon's limbs, all the while looking around for something that could be used as a blanket.

Thanks to the little heater, the room was getting hospitable but it was far from really warm. Apart from the few objects that he'd noticed before, and a few other knick-knacks on the shelves of a battered bookcase, there was nothing else in the room. He remembered back to his Air Force training and how he'd been taught that in lieu of a blanket, body heat could be used. He got up from the ragged carpet and grabbed one of the white plastic chairs, jamming it under the doorknob to secure it. He didn't relish the thought of being attacked whilst he was saving his partner's life. As soon as the door was as secure as it could be, he moved back to the sofa, climbing onto it as best as he could given its and his own size, wrapping himself around Leon in an attempt to get them both warmed up.

Despite the murky green carpet and off-white paintwork, the room had a relaxing quality to it. Perhaps it was the warm glow of the heater or the dim light from the single bulb that hung in a dusty shade overhead. Perhaps it was Leon's body, pressed into his own so tightly that he could feel every one of the younger man's firm muscles against his own or maybe it was the fact that he was finally holding Leon close, more intimately than he had back in the caves, safe in the knowledge that they were so much more than partners now. Whatever it was, he found himself drifting off to sleep. Something at the back of his mind was shouting at him, telling him the last thing they should be doing was sleeping in unfamiliar and enemy territory but it was too late, Chris' eyes were already closed.

When Chris woke up, it took him a few moments to realise where he was. He looked at his watch, surprised when he realised that he'd been asleep just over three hours. He rubbed his eyes and noticed that he could feel his own skin again. The little heater was still going strong and had warmed up the room nicely. If this wasn't some fucked up facility of Wesker's he could happily stay like this for a while, cuddled up to Leon.

Leon!

Leon seemed to still be unconscious; his head nestled almost in Chris' armpit. A small amount of blood had soaked through the gauze, leaving a little brown blob on the small white square. Chris sat up a little and gently shook the younger man.

"Leon"?

"Mmm what"? Leon's voice replied, slightly croaky and sleep addled. To Chris, it was possibly the sweetest sound he'd ever heard.

"You're ok"! He said, hugging Leon close.

"Don't be too sure" Leon's voice was muffled now, pressed into his armpit with the force of the hug. The younger man broke free and looked at Chris reproachfully. "Your armpits fucking stink"! He moaned.

"Why Mr Kennedy"! Chris teased. "Such language"! He smirked as Leon rolled his eyes. A heavy blanket of relief had settled over him and right now no amount of crazy ass facilities or psycho ex S.T.A.R.S captains could ruin it. Leon was ok!

"My head's killing me," Leon said, putting a hand to the dressing on his forehead. "I assume the plane crashed"

"Sorry" Chris replied, the relief was giving way to the guilt again. He raised his left hand and gently stroked the gauze. "The last thing I wanted was for you to get hurt"

Leon shook his head to indicate it didn't matter, or that he wasn't bothered and planted a chaste kiss on Chris lips. The kiss alone made Chris feel a lot better.

"So where do you want to start"? Leon asked, hauling himself up from the sofa. His head hurt a lot and the rest of his body ached. Better that than dead though. Chris had been stupid to mess with the plane's controls but Leon knew that he'd at least had good intentions. As soon as he'd heard Chris mention that he was no stranger to Wesker's Antarctic facility, or at least his previous one, a worry had settled in Leon's stomach. He had that horrible sinking feeling that told him this was yet another step in the game. If Wesker wanted to break Chris it made sense to force him to relive traumatic experiences once again. Leon stretched and quickly checked his weapons, pleased to note that they were all present and correct. He looked over at Chris who was doing the same and hoped that the older man's resolve would continue to hold out.

It was clear fairly early on that the building they were in was a small office block of some sort. The room they'd slept in was obviously a break room and as well as the office that Chris had discovered, the only other room was a small toilet which, after using whatever greenery was available to them for so long, came as a nice surprise and both Leon and Chris made use of the facilities before moving on.

Beside the door leading to the toilet was a darkened staircase; which led downwards into what was probably the basement levels of the building. They reached the bottom of the stairs when a white hot, blinding pain shot through Leon's stomach. He doubled over, clutching at his abdomen. Chris was slightly ahead of him, already beginning to investigate one of the corridors. Leon tried to keep quiet, not wanted to alert his partner to the pain. It would only make him worry. He stumbled forward a couple of steps, his heart racing, his blood pounding in his ears as wave after wave of brutal pain hit his stomach. Blackness started to seep into his peripheral vision, edging in slowly as he let out a gasp of pain.

END OF CHAPTER FIVE.


	6. Chapter 6

Notes:- Oops. Just checked and realised that it's been two weeks since I posted the last chapter! Sorry to keep people waiting!

The Facility Aftermath

Chapter Six

He felt his knees hit the hard concrete floor first, swiftly followed by both of his hands as he sucked in air, trying his best not to vomit. The pain stabbed relentlessly and he could hear that he was groaning now. Thundering footsteps, getting louder, like someone running towards him and then a strong arm on his shoulder, a hand rubbing his back soothingly.

"Leon? Leon! Speak to me"! It was Chris and he could hear the worry and desperation in his voice. Leon gulped in air, his stomach heaving, twisted in knots. "What's wrong"?

"Pain…" Leon spoke through clenched teeth. He turned his head to the side and vomited. It came out in a rush, vile and acidic, over and over again, his back spasming, his stomach muscles heaving. Chris was rubbing his back, his hand moving in slow circles and he was muttering soothing things but Leon could hear the fear spilling into his voice.

He dry heaved for a while and the pain began to ebb away. Chris helped him into a sitting position, his back against the corridor wall, away from the small puddle of vomit. Leon was breathing heavily as he felt his body and breathing slowly return to normal. He opened his eyes and saw Chris squatting beside him, brows knitted together in anxiety. He knew what the older man was probably thinking. Head injury. Concussion. Leon knew different. He'd had head injuries before, suffering various concussions in his short but eventful life in the Secret Service. No, this was something far bigger than that. It was the Plagas within him, growing and making its presence known. He'd read the case files that had been stored on the USB. The egg inside him was in the process of hatching. Soon he would be coughing up blood and then…well, he didn't want to think about it.

"It's the virus isn't it"? Chris asked, his voice slightly shaky. Leon closed his eyes and nodded. Stupid idiot! Of course Chris would work it out. He frequently didn't think but the older man wasn't stupid.

"I know what you're gonna say…" Leon wiped his mouth and accepted the water bottle that Chris thrust into his hands. "But I'm going through with this. If you're finishing Wesker then I'm gonna be right there with you"

"I wouldn't dare argue with you" Chris replied. He pulled a slightly crumpled stick of chewing gum out of one of the pockets of his combats and handed it over. Leon accepted it gratefully. "But we need to try and find this anti-virus. Fuck Wesker for now. This is more important"

"Fuck Wesker"? Leon got to his feet with Chris' help. "It's a little early to be thinking about threesomes don't you think"? He felt a little wobbly but otherwise back to normal, or at least as normal as he could be with some alien creation living inside of him. Chris offered him a smile but it disappeared quickly. Leon knew that he was more worried than ever but there was little he could do to change that.

They moved onwards down the corridor, occasionally passing doors and kicking them open to reveal that they led onto the upstairs catwalks of huge warehouse like rooms, filled with conveyor belts and manual cranes that seemed to lift heavy crates. Whatever was packed in them was anybody's guess.

"None of this seems to indicate any sort of research and development," Leon said after they'd closed the door on the third warehouse room. "And I don't know if you've noticed but there doesn't seem to be anyone about"

"It'll all be part of his plan" Chris replied darkly. "It'll be in case some civilian stumbles across it. No-one would expect anything out of the ordinary"

"There are security cameras everywhere." Leon noted, looking up towards the ceiling. They'd been one camera every two or three meters along the corridor and in all the rooms. He looked over at Chris when the older man didn't respond. "Chris! What the hell are you doing"?

Chris had undone his belt and unzipped the fly of his combats. Within seconds they were down by his ankles and he was exposing his naked rear to one of the cameras, waggling it from side to side. Clearly tattooed on his right cheek was the BSAA symbol. Leon felt a blush creep onto his cheeks.

"Just in case he's watching," Chris replied.

"There is so much I wanna ask right now," Leon said as Chris zipped himself back up and grinned widely at him. "Number one. Why the hell did you do that? Number two. Why get the BSAA symbol tattooed on your ass and number three, where the hell is your underwear"? He pressed his face into his palm. "That was so not how I imagined seeing your ass for the first time"

"And you loved it"! Chris shot back, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. "Bet Wesker did too," He added after a moment's thought." He looked at Leon and the smile instantly disappeared. "Are you feeling better"?

"Much" Leon nodded. His stomach felt strangely numb and his abdominal muscles were aching after the powerful heaves but at least the pain had subsided.

There was a door at the end of the corridor, which lead into a vast cylindrical room, which appeared to reach way above the surface and far below. Leon vaguely remembered seeing the outside of the building when the plane was crashing. It was impossible to count how many floors that the expansive building contained as it seemed to go on forever. Above them, there was a huge gash in the curved wall letting in a blast of freezing cold air and a few massive chunks of bluish grey concrete were strewn on the catwalk where they stood. They walked slowly and carefully around the curved path. Leon held onto the rail as the sight of the drop below had made him feel a little dizzy.

The catwalk ended in a set of metal stairs, which lead downwards to a door on their left. They opened it and Leon peeked through to see a bunkroom that had shelves and lockers at the far end of it. He stepped to one side and allowed Chris to look in. Chris seemed to stare at the room for a long time before he shook his head in disbelief.

"It's pretty much the same as the facility I went round in 1998" He explained. "Looks like he's had it rebuilt," He continued as he closed the door.

"At least it means you'll have a good idea of where we're going" Leon replied.

Chris nodded but he couldn't help but feel uneasy. He knew that Leon had a point, being able to navigate the place easily would be a plus point but at the same time he couldn't help but think that Wesker was beginning to up his game. They pressed on, down more stairs, to a metal double door on their left. Just as he'd expected, when they opened the double doors, they revealed a slightly warmer flight of stairs, the width of the doorway, which were a very bland, bluish stone and lit by florescent lights. They bent halfway to the left and at the bottom was a carved wooden door, which seemed out of the place in the warehouse like building. Along a narrow offshoot to their left was another single door.

"We'll take this one" Chris said, nodding at the wooden door. He pushed it open and Leon followed as he entered the room. Just as he'd expected, it was a dead end. An office furnished in a traditional warm manner, full of exquisite wood and leather furniture with display cases. Each item familiar from the last time and doing nothing to help his feelings of weirdness.

He leant against the desk, struggling to recall where to go next. This wasn't something that he would've ever thought he would have to relive. But, like the mansion before it, the facility's lay out slowly came to him. Unfolding in his mind like a well stored map. They left the office and he led Leon down the offshoot, to the next door.

"There should be another massive room behind this door, like the other warehouse rooms we saw earlier." He said. Back in 1998, the room had been flooded and the whole bottom floor had been trapped beneath a frozen lake of water.

"It's a lift door." Leon pointed out, motioning to a control panel

"Hmm. Thought it seemed a bit too easy" Chris muttered to himself. He hammered the lift's call button. "So much for something going right for a change" He added as the lift door slid open and the pair of them got in. It started to descend without them having to press any buttons, which didn't really help Chris' suspicions. He wondered when this was all going to end. He was exhausted and felt like he'd spent half of his life chasing Wesker around facilities and messed up places. He wanted a break. He wanted to lie in bed all day and eat crap. He wanted to do normal things like go to the cinema or just play video games in his pants.

"Do you ever miss the normal things"? He found himself asking. Leon looked as exhausted as he did. There was a slight bruise flowering from underneath the gauze.

"All the time" Leon answered. He leant against the lift's smooth wall. "What annoys me the most is that I didn't choose to do any of this" He sighed. "I thought I had it all planned out. I was gonna be a cop and maybe rise through the ranks. Not too much though. I wouldn't have wanted to be stuck behind a desk. I was gonna settle in Raccoon, maybe find the right guy, start a family, the usual stuff."

"I thought you chose to work for the Government"? Chris said. Leon laughed. There was no humour behind it, only a hint of bitterness. He didn't really expect Leon to continue and it came as a nice surprise when he did.

"That's what they'd like you to think" He replied. "They picked me up a couple of miles outside of Raccoon. Said they could use someone like me. I guess it's not every day you can recruit someone who's been through something like that but I wasn't flattered. It was probably so they could keep tabs on me. Make sure I didn't go telling everyone and anyone who'd listen about what I'd seen in there. You know what it's like. The media got hold of the story but none of them were in there. Just us lucky few. The government didn't want to cause mass panic by letting some survivor spill his guts to the papers so it was their way of keeping me quiet. Give me a job and make me sign shit loads of papers promising I wouldn't ever talk about it"

"Wow" Chris whistled. He'd had no idea. He'd assumed that after the horrors of Raccoon, Leon had joined the government agency out of a need to stop something similar happening again, not because he'd been forced to.

"Don't get me wrong" Leon continued, reading Chris' expression. "I don't want you to get the impression I'm here under sufferance. I do enjoy what I do and I know we're doing a good thing, but if I was given the chance to do something normal again I'd take it like a shot."

"I can't wait 'til we get back to America" Chris replied. "I'm gonna take you out for the biggest meal ever! Then maybe you might wanna come back to my place"?

"Ugh. Only if I want to catch something"! Leon screwed his face up in disgust. "My place is nicer," He added with an uppity air. "Less chance of being closed down by the health department"

"Whatever gave you the impression that I'm an untidy slob"? Chris asked teasingly. He loved moments like this. Moments where he and Leon could lose themselves in banter and forget where they were for a while. It provided him with the brief respite he needed to make it through everything that was happening.

"The state you left your room in when you left Spain was a big clue" Leon answered.

The lift stopped suddenly and the door opened into a tight dark passage that stretched off to the left. Directly in front of them stood a rust coloured metal door. Chris pulled and pushed at it but it didn't yield. He cursed and gave it a swift kick. They were going to have to go the other way, to their left. The pair walked forwards down the dark passage and found themselves in what appeared to be a strange courtyard or playground. To their immediate left was a pond with an ornate stone fountain, water slowly trickling out. The noise of the moving water, something Chris would've normally considered calming, seemed sick and twisted in such odd circumstances. Perhaps even more perverse was the small merry-go-round that stood beyond the fountain with two garishly painted wooden horses on it. They were surrounded by a high stone wall as if they were in somebody's back garden.

Chris almost didn't want to look to his right. He knew perfectly well what he was going to see. It was an exquisitely carved double door, surrounded by Hellenistic pillars and a mantle, with rows of windows stretching off to either side beyond the garden in a wall that seemed to extend further than he could clearly see.

"What the hell"? Leon was looking at the fountain, the horses, the doors, with a look of disbelief on his face. With a bitter laugh, Chris explained.

"Part of the Spencer Mansion was re-created in the original Antarctic facility." He said. "It looks like that was one particular feature he thought I could do with seeing again"

Leon tried to read Chris' expression and for the first time since he'd known the older man, it was impossible. His face was a passive mask, unyielding to what he was really feeling. He reached out to try and grab his partner's hand but Chris was already striding towards the double doors. Leon watched him stalk away for a brief moment before following. If Chris was going to walk back into his own personal hell then Leon was going to be right there beside him. Chris pushed the double doors open with enough force for the sound to reverberate around the whole of the hallway that they stepped into. He stayed by the door, almost as if he was waiting for Leon to take in their new surroundings.

Leon had heard about the Spencer Mansion. The day before he was due to turn up in Raccoon City, he'd done some digging around into the case. He'd been hoping that he'd see or read something new. Find some significance in something seemingly benign. He couldn't see why the S.T.A.R.S, a highly respected branch of the RPD would make it all up and yeah, he might've been a naïve trainee, his ego stoked by his Academy tutors singing his praises, but he wanted to be the one who got the S.T.A.R.S reinstated.

The descriptions and faded photos didn't even come close to actually standing in what was essentially a perfect replica of the Spencer Mansion's main hall. It seemed to stretch out forever, dwarfing him and Chris in what was probably once intended to be opulent splendour. Except it was far from warm and welcoming. In fact, it was the complete opposite. Cold and oppressive with a ghostly atmosphere that could've made you shudder if you thought about it for too long. The marble flooring shone as if someone had just recently polished it and the red carpet that ran the length of the grand staircase in front of him looked plush and expensive. He half expected a young debutante in her best ball gown to come down those sweeping stairs that were surrounded with a deep mahogany banister and balcony. Ornate candelabras stood either side of the staircase, white candles emitting their soft glow. Paintings lined the walls in various elaborate frames and polished, deep redwood doors reminded Leon of an art gallery or an old library.

"It's really something isn't it"? Chris asked with no hint of awe or amazement. He shook his head in a disgusted manner before stalking off to one of the dark redwood doors to their left. "Stay here" He ordered.

"Like fuck I'm gonna"! Leon shot back. He shook his head at his partner's unbelievable stupidity.

"It could be a trap," Chris argued. "I'm not having you getting hurt again." He added firmly. Leon however, was far from convinced.

"Oh please" He replied sarcastically. "Don't give me that crap," He continued dismissively, waving his hand. "I'm a highly trained Secret Service Agent. Anyway, maybe me staying here on my own would be a trap. Did you think of that Mr Smartass"?

"I guess I didn't" Chris said, suitably cowed. He had the good grace to look a little ashamed. Leon sighed heavily. He knew Chris wasn't trying to go out of his way to annoy him, he was obviously just concerned and for that, Leon couldn't blame him one little bit. He knew that if the circumstances were reversed, and Chris was the one who was carrying around a rapidly maturing Plagas, he would do everything in his power to make sure that the older man was alright.

Following Chris' reluctant lead, he stepped through the door and found himself in another elaborate room, this time a dining room. A long table, enough to seat probably twenty people took up most of the space, draped in a pristine white tablecloth. Delicate lace placemats were neatly arranged, facing mahogany chairs with luscious red cushion seats. Immaculately polished cutlery reflected the light from the brass lamps built into the wall. Exactly like the main hall, a balcony ran the entire length of the room and Leon couldn't help but look up and remember when Wesker had shot him from the gantry in the Spanish facility.

The ticking of a well-maintained antique grandfather clock reverberated through the room, so loud in the silence that Leon could feel it in his chest. An understated white marble fireplace stood at the other end of the room, an emblem consisting of a wooden shield and crossed swords on the wall above it. In the right hand corner was an oak door and it was then that Leon noticed him.

The man.

A gasp from Chris told him that his partner had noticed it too. The pounding of Chris' hiking trainers on the marble floor joined the ticking of the clock as he ran over to the door.

"Chris! Wait"! Leon shouted. "It could be a trap"!

Chris ignored him, crouching by the body of the man that was sitting, slumped against the oak door. Leon could see the blood glistening from a distance. He hurried towards Chris who had got back to his feet, glaring down at the body. As Leon got closer he could see that the man's throat had been brutally torn open leaving a mass of shiny pink and red gore, almost luminous against his dark skin. Blood was soaked around the collar of his yellow t-shirt and spattered across his khaki green Kevlar vest, making dark patches on his black combats. His eyes were open, expressionless and staring, his lips parted in a silent scream that probably nobody had heard. There was a hip pack on a brown leather belt around his waist, matching the brown leather knife holster strapped across his front. Secured to this was a piece of white paper. Leon plucked it from the body and read it aloud.

"Now he's become a mere shadow of his former self…"

"Kenneth Sullivan" Chris finished for him, staring down at the body with a mixture of shock and disgust. Without warning he savagely kicked out at the body and Leon took a step back as the body slumped to the floor emitting a dull sounded hollow thwack. "A dummy" Chris added, turning away from it as Leon continued to stare in horror, allowing the piece of paper to slip from his grasp.

"He was…"

"A member of Bravo Team" Chris interrupted. He was leaning against the fireplace, staring into the empty grate. Leon opened his mouth to say something but Chris pushed himself off the marble frame and starting to stride back towards the main hall, his eyes looking anywhere but at the dummy representing his dead friend and colleague.

CHAPTER BREAK?

"I can remember the shortest route out of here" Chris said when they went back into the main hall. His tone was business-like and to the point, almost verging on short. Leon knew what he was doing, he recognised that behaviour. Hell, he'd done it himself. When you were faced with something so horrific, all you could do was draw on your training and get the job done. Now was not the time for personal feelings to come into the equation. Chances were that if you stopped to think, you'd break down. Chris had obviously snapped himself into that frame of mind to try and deal with being thrown back into the events of the Spencer Mansion.

"Good" He replied. "Let's get the hell out of here"

Chris nodded and headed straight for a mottled blue door ahead of them on the wall opposite from the dining room door. He opened it cautiously, obviously expecting a zombie to be waiting behind it, ready to attack. Leon knew the feeling.

Just as Chris had been expecting, they walked into what was effectively a small gallery, decorated in dark shades of blue. It was just as he remembered. Generic oil paintings adorning every wall, each lit by a single spotlight. His attention turned to the middle of the room, expecting to see the familiar plaster cast of Aquarius, a water-bearing woman on a pedestal.

There was a plaster cast on the pedestal but it wasn't Aquarius. Chris felt every drop of his blood turn to ice as he moved closer to the mannequin, a sick feeling churning in his stomach. He'd barely been able to keep it together when he saw the mock-up of Kenneth's grisly death but this was something else entirely.

Dressed in a S.T.A.R.S uniform and streaked with blood, in glorious Technicolor, was a perfect model of Forrest Speyer. He was mimicking the pose the Aquarius statue had been in but instead of eyes, the mannequin had dark, empty sockets, fake blood dripping from them and staining his uniform. On the pedestal at his feet was an immaculately polished golden plaque that read:

"In memory of Forrest Speyer, who gave his life rather pointlessly"

Chris turned away from the statue, resisting the urge to shove it off its pedestal. Wesker was playing with him, toying with feelings that he'd long since tried to bury and move on from. Although Kenneth had been a good guy to have around, Forrest had been almost like a brother to him and when Chris had found his dead body all of those years ago, he'd had to fight to get the image of it out of his mind. Now it was there again, right in his face so there was no way he could possibly ignore it. He knew that if he looked at things logically, this was Wesker's way of weakening his resolve before they confronted him. But it was failing miserably. Far from being weak and broken, these sick sights made Chris' resolve stronger than ever.

"Chris…" Leon's voice filtered into his thoughts.

"I'm fine Leon" Chris interrupted. "Let's just move on"

Taking great care to ignore the statue, Chris stepped around it, faced with the two exits he remembered from the original mansion. The left one a dark hall partially obscured by a heavy red curtain, the right one a plain, wood panelled door with a carving of a sword by the keyhole. He grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, relief setting in when it opened. For a brief moment he'd been worried that Wesker was forcing them to repeat his trek for various keys and puzzle items.

The door opened onto a long, well-lit hall that bent to the left about halfway along, ten metres away. It was exactly how he remembered, the chandeliers dangling from the ceiling, the black and white marble floor underneath his feet. To their right, the row of windows, evenly spaced, black so that it was impossible to tell whether or not they were looking through them or that they were just painted. The row of display cases that Chris recalled were there on their left, like glass-topped sideboards. As they moved down the corridor, they could see the display cases were full of the things Chris had seen all those years ago, bleached bones and skulls, arranged around strips of leather and unidentifiable fleshly blobs in formaldehyde filled jars. Leon was watching the windows, his gun drawn, obviously expecting something to leap through them. Chris wasn't as convinced. Although he remembered Jill saying something about dogs when they'd first escaped the mansion, Chris didn't think they'd find any monsters now. It seemed that this new recreation was nothing but a simple tool to try and push Chris into madness.

The final display case at the end of the corridor contained something entirely different. Arranged neatly and almost with care, a S.T.A.R.S issue Beretta, a uniform completely shredded and covered in blood, Joseph's red bandana, Enrico's warrant card, all as if they were on display in a shop. To finish off the twisted display, a crumpled photo of Barry and his wife and children, all smiling happily at the camera, and the S.T.A.R.S squad photo that had hung proudly on the wall of the S.T.A.R.S office. Chris heard Leon's sharp intake of breath and knew that he'd seen the contents of the case. Chris continued to stare at it coldly, feeling an almost uncontrollable urge to knock the damned thing over. Strangely through, despite the mocking nature intended by the display, he felt as though disturbing or damaging it in any way would be disrespectful to his fallen friends and colleagues.

Instead he turned his anger onto the nearest display case, flipping it over with ease and taking pleasure from the sound of the glass smashing and the wood splintering.

"Fuck"! He shouted as loud as he could, feeling his anger ebbing away as quickly as it had risen. He stood over the broken case, breathing heavily, feeling a wet trail of snot dripping from his nose down to his upper lip from the force of his shout. With a shaking hand he brushed it off, wiping it on the leg of his combats. He placed his hands, palms flat, onto the wall, using it for support as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, slowly counting to ten. He could do this. He would do this. He would do it for Leon, for Jill, for Claire for S.T.A.R.S, for every single person who'd ever suffered at the hands of Albert Wesker. Arms wrapped around his waist from behind and held him tightly. He continued to count slowly and when he reached ten he turned around and offered the worried looking Leon a determined smile. He kissed him gently on the lips and felt Leon's right hand slowly start to massage the back of his neck.

"I fucking hate that he's doing this to you" Leon said, his voice tinged with anger.

"Well it's good that we're here to kill him" Chris replied confidently, breaking free of Leon's hold.

"Do you even have an idea of how we're going to do that"? Leon asked, kicking aside some of the broken glass. "The man's a monster. I'm sure he's got the strength to match that superhuman speed"

"We'll find a way." Chris answered, hoping that what he'd just said was true. He'd been so determined to kill Wesker that he'd forgotten the importance of having some sort of plan. This wasn't a normal man they were dealing with. They couldn't just knock him to the floor and put a bullet through his brain.

"The virus he's infected with would be the obvious place to start" Leon said, staring at the ruined display case. "Do you think he ever developed an anti-virus? I'm thinking that if he's been infecting himself with all these different things, he'd develop something that could cure them if he needed to"

"It's a possibility" Chris replied, trying to think of something himself. He'd never really had the aptitude for science. He was more of a doer than a thinker. He looked at his partner who was seemingly lost in thought. If there was anyone who needed an anti-virus right now it was Leon. It was what they needed to focus on and if they came across one that might work on Wesker, well, that would be a happy bonus. He was about to say so when Leon continued to talk.

"Or even better an overdose"

"Overdose"? Chris frowned.

"Yeah" Leon nodded. "I'm willing to bet that whatever he injects himself with, it'll be a carefully measured amount. He doesn't want to lose himself completely to the virus like William Birkin, Sherry's father did. He'll want to enhance his powers and he'll still want to retain every aspect of his personality…"

"Oh yeah. He's gotta remain a smug fucker at all times" Chris interrupted, nodding in agreement. Leon flashed him his well-practised shut-the-fuck-up look and Chris smiled sheepishly.

"It's a risky move." Leon added. "Too much of the virus could easily kill him but it could also make him stronger. Then of course is the problem of how we're going to get hold of it. He's not the type to just leave things lying around. I bet he either keeps it on him at all times or has it under heavy guard somewhere. I think it's a risk we have to be willing to take because unless something pops up out of the blue, it could be our only option" He allowed Chris a brief smile. "But since you're naturally a risk taker I guess I don't really have to ask"

"Of course not" Chris replied. "I think we've got ourselves a plan" He added, feeling instantly better now they had a clear idea of what it was they needed to do. "But first we need to get ourselves out of this place" He felt a new determination wash over him. He could and indeed would, in time learn to move on from the sights he'd been subjected to in this new nightmare. He would never forget but it wouldn't matter as much now. He didn't have to go home to America alone and see the whiskey bottle on the shelf in the store. He wouldn't have to fight to ignore its siren song as he filled his basket with groceries. He wouldn't climb into a cold and empty bed and lay there with the lights off, staring up at his ceiling and reliving these hallways and rooms and the horrors within. He had a partner now in more ways than one. They would be there to help each other move on from it all. To move on from the mansion, Raccoon City, Antarctica, Spain, Africa. It was a comforting and strengthening thought to know that he was never going to be alone again.

"Are you ready to move on"? Leon asked. Chris opened his mouth but Leon stopped him before he could speak. "If you do that whole 'born ready' thing again I will seriously lock you in one of those display cases"

"I wasn't going to" Chris replied even though he was. He smirked at Leon before focussing back on their current location, wracking his brains to remember where they needed to go next to get out as quickly as possible. He felt like a lab rat in a maze and that was probably, no doubt definitely intended.

They moved through the door at the end of the hallway and it led, as expected, into yet another long corridor. Chris remembered it to be tight and winding with several blind corners. It wasn't as well lit as the previous one so they were going to have to be on their guard more. The sickening green wallpaper was still there, contrasting with the dark oak floor and fixtures around them. They passed a heavy iron door.

"On your right is a door that led to a backyard" Chris said, adopting his best tour guide's voice as they walked onwards. The hall bent left, passing another single oak door on their right. "And here we have a lovely bathroom" Chris continued, motioning towards the door as they passed it. "Complete with everyone's favourite bath time surprise, a zombie in the tub"

"Is doing that really helping"? Leon asked, his gun raised, still obviously expecting some sort of attack. Chris could tell that Leon was edgier than him, tenser.

"Well it doesn't hurt" Chris replied with a shrug.

They went around more bends, passing another door, which was accompanied by an explanation by Chris. A room with a descending ceiling was behind that door. Leon let him continue, knowing that humour was once again how the older man was dealing with it all. He couldn't quite appreciate it so easily. The mansion was new to him and even though he was with Chris, who knew where he was going, he still felt very uneasy and tense. It reminded him of walking through the corridors of the police station back in Raccoon, wandering around aimlessly when he didn't know where to go. Running into monsters and dead bodies.

Through the next double door, an ornately carved one was a very dark hallway with deep shadows drenching the corners. A couple of doors were on their right, Leon looked at the lock of one of them and saw that it had a picture of a knight's helmet engraved into the brass by the keyhole. At the end of the hallway on the left was another door, almost invisible in the darkness, which Chris told him led to a gallery of portraits guarded by murderous crows. Jill had almost been caught by that trap.

"This is where we need to be." Chris said, pointing down an offshoot their right. Leon hadn't noticed the tight passage before, as it was disguised in a shadowy corner of the hall. They hurried down it and it lead through a rusted iron door into a curved passage with a crazy paving floor. Small arched holes were carved high into the left hand wall, twisted vines spilling in from outside. It stopped at a door, a strange looking plaque on the wall beside it. "This leads into the gardens" Chris said, examining the plaque on the wall. He looked as if he knew what he was looking at. "Four crests…all here…" He muttered to himself.

Leon looked at the plaque himself. It was quite large, probably a metre squared and appeared to have four brass crests set into it. They were only about the size of a fist but they looked heavy. Each one bore a stylised astrology themed image, a star, a sun, a moon and a cloud blowing a gust of wind. He couldn't be sure but it looked as if they were part of a complicated puzzle, probably to open the door.

Chris pushed on the door handle and pushed. There was no give at all, strange for a door, even one which was tightly locked. He frowned at it and Leon had a go himself. It felt like he was pushing into a brick wall. He ran his gloved hands over the door only to find that that was exactly what it was, a brick wall, painted to look like a door. The fastest way out had turned into a dead end. Chris punched the wall, letting out a frustrated growl.

"Now what"? He demanded.

"Search me" Leon replied, a little irritated at Chris' tone. "You're the expert on this place. Not me" He sighed and tried not to let his anger get the better of him. Chris was understandably annoyed and tense and he'd just been forced to relive his colleagues' deaths. "What about heading back to the main hall"? He suggested. "We could go back out through the main door and check out the warehouse rooms again, see if there's something we missed"?

"Better than hanging around in this place" Chris replied. He gave the painted on door one last filthy look before heading back down the passage. Chris was breathing heavily, seemingly seething, and Leon didn't feel any better. They walked back silently and when they came back to the door, they both wordlessly checked their guns before preparing for their trip back to the main hall.

The door opened with squeaky hinges. They moved cautiously back down the dark offshoot, pausing when they heard the sound of a door ahead of them open and then slam shut. What followed was the sound of a heavy, padded footstep, then another almost ponderous footstep.

"Shit" Chris muttered as the steps continued, accompanied by a strange clicking reptilian sound and then, from a shady corner in front of them, it emerged.

END OF CHAPTER SIX.


	7. Chapter 7

NOTES:- Sorry for the epic amount of time between chapters again. Mr Laptop was struck down with a virus. Grrr…anyway, here's Chapter Seven!

The Facility Aftermath

Chapter Seven

Leon had never seen anything like it before. It stood five feet tall, covered head to toe in dark green scales that glistened in the low light. It was standing slightly hunched over and had a flat spined skull. It's yellow eyes glittered above a wide, toothy mouth. The arms were muscular, long, with claws almost touching the floor and its back legs were bent, giving it a slightly squat appearance. He watched as it twisted its head to the side at an inhuman angle, and then opened its wide mouth to cry out. Leon raised his handgun and fired, hitting the creature straight in its vile throat.

Chris followed, opening fire on the creature's torso until it went down. It stayed on the floor for mere seconds before it started to roll back to its taloned feet. The door that would take them back to the main hall started to splinter and buckle inwards. It looked as if their route back was compromised. Two more of the scaly abominations burst forth through the door, sending splinters and wood chips flying. They joined the first one, which was now oozing thick blood from its bullet wounds, ready to spring at them.

Leon felt Chris grab him by the back of his t-shirt with his left hand, heard him smash his right hand against the door to their left. It flew open and Leon was launched through, reeling to keep his balance as the first creature sprang at him viciously. He ducked into the doorway, instinctively covering his head. He turned and dropped onto his back, aiming at the open doorway by his feet. He unloaded a full clip into the first vile beast as they started to bottleneck in the hallway. Chris' fire joined his once more and, in a haze of gun smoke, the three of them fell to the floor with dull, wet thuds. Leon booted the door shut and Chris turned the key in the lock, providing a temporary reprieve. He was at Leon's side just as quick, hauling him to his feet.

"How are we gonna get back to the main hall now"? Leon asked, breathing heavily as he dusted himself off.

"It's ok, I know where we are" Chris replied. "Those things, for reference, they're called Hunters"

"They're lovely" Leon said sardonically. "Gotta love those screeching noises" He looked at their new surroundings. There were in a tight hallway that was painted a warm amber colour and lit by a huge chandelier that was hanging above an oak stairwell ahead. The walls over the stairs were covered in more generic paintings, landscapes, stoic portraits, and pictures of the mansion, which were all hung together in mismatched frames.

"If we go up the stairs and through a couple more hallways we'll get back to the main hall" Chris explained.

"Sounds good to me" Leon replied as they moved forward towards the stairs. Chris stopped when he appeared to notice something of interest on the wall under the stairs. Leon turned his attention to what his partner was looking at. A white piece of paper was pinned to the wall, close to a door that looked as if it lead into a small storeroom. Written on the note, in a neat sloping script was:

'Chris, I've left you some ammo in the storeroom. I've gone to try and find another way out of this mansion. Cpt Wesker'

Chris tore the paper from the wall, crumpling up until it became a small, tight ball. He hurled it as hard as he could back towards the hallway.

"Fucking Wesker" He muttered darkly.

"Captain Wesker"? Leon frowned, speaking the words aloud to see if he could get them to make more sense. "Why-"?

"'Cos it's yet another part of his fucking game Leon" Chris snarled. "He left me the exact same note back in 1998" He kicked out at the store room door, hitting it so hard with his hiking trainer that it flew open.

"Well we might as well check it out" Leon replied calmly. "Now you've gone to trouble of opening the door," He added, nodding towards the storeroom. "If he's idiotic enough to give us ammo then I say we play him at his own game. He's probably expecting us not to take it"

"Who knows what he's thinking"? Chris mumbled but didn't put up any argument. Leon walked into the small storeroom to find it was quite cosy, lit by the soft glow of an oil lamp. A shelf and the far corner was full of gardening equipment and a tank of kerosene. By the door was a circular corner table with a typewriter sat on top. It was another one of those heavy old-style ones that Leon had noticed when he'd woken up in the break room when they'd first arrived. At the back of the room was a large trunk. Leon strode across the creaking floorboards and lifted the lid and inside, sure enough, was a collection of ammo. There was a box of twelve-gauge ammo for Chris' shotgun, at least thirty rounds. Beside that were several boxes of ammo for their handguns that equated to a few hundred rounds.

They both took the opportunity to stock up and reload. They worked silently and quickly, both aware that more Hunters could break through the locked door at any moment. As they left the storeroom, the door Chris had locked was rattling ominously. The doorknob was twisting slightly, sounding as if it was being scratched on the other side by clawed hands that lacked opposable thumbs. The moved up the stairs carefully, keeping their footsteps light, not wanting to make a noise to encourage the Hunters any more than they already had.

They turned right at the top of the stairs and Leon noted that Chris was no longer making his tour guide comments. The older man's face was grim, his mouth a thin line of determination. It was clear this mansion situation was getting to him. Leon could only hope that they would be able to get the hell out of the place quickly and before Chris was subjected to anymore ghosts from his past.

"It's funny" Chris suddenly spoke up as he led him round the landing, the sound almost making Leon jump after the minutes of complete silence. "I spent years trying to forget these hallways and now that knowledge is probably gonna save our life"

Leon opened his mouth to offer some form of comforting words to his partner but his words were lost when there was an almighty cracking sound as the door downstairs gave way. A hunched green form sped towards the stairs. The Hunter stopped and looked up, its blank eyes staring at the handrail where they'd just been. It suddenly sprang inhumanly high, just missing the chandelier and clearing the handrail easily. It stood before them, hunched on the landing. Its body seemed to swell slightly as it let out a loud scream, a horrible high-pitched rattling sound. Chris took a step forward, pushing Leon back as he aimed his shotgun in the creature's ugly face. One blast and the skull erupted, the creature crashing into the handrail and taking a section with it as it landed on the floor in front of the storeroom with a wet smack. Leon looked down and saw its thick blood starting to soak into the carpet.

They moved onwards, through a door and sweeping the corridor that followed, left and right, low and fast. The red hued corridor was empty. More dark wood and red carpet greeted them, matching perfectly with burgundy walls lit by red tinted wall sconces. A small side table to the right had a tiffany lamp on it and beyond that, a door. On the left, the corridor hooked right and Chris was already starting to move along, back to silence. Leon followed him, covering his back, expecting more of the Hunters to attack at any moment.

Chris walked on, wondering just how much more of this he could take. Wesker was throwing things in his face that he'd been certain he'd left in the past. He passed an ornately carved turquoise double door and knew what he was going to find next. Sure enough there it was, propped up against a door set into the wall on the left. Another one of Wesker's dummies. The dummy was covered in blood and wearing a torn orange S.T.A.R.S t-shirt. He stalked straight past it. He didn't need to look down to know that this dummy was supposed to represent Richard Aitken who'd been bitten by the giant snake. No doubt the dummy would have two puncture marks on its torso just like Richard had had. He remembered Rebecca's determination to save him and how she'd failed to do so, despite her prodigious skills. As he walked past he expected Leon to say something but he remained quiet. He respected Leon for that. The younger man never seemed to want to push him into talking the way Jill or Claire used to do. He seemed to understand that the time for talking was later, in months or years to come when they were sat at home and not being toyed with by some power hungry maniac. It made him love Leon all the more and made him more determined to ensure that after this, they would have a normal life. He wanted to give Leon all the things that he'd talked about in the lift. A settled home life and a family. Maybe when they returned to America he would take a back seat in the BSAA, do admin work. Not that he'd ever really seen himself as a desk job sort of guy. Maybe he didn't have to do that. Maybe he'd just rejoin a local police force. He wondered if Leon would able to leave his government job. He'd always wanted to be a cop and he never really got the chance before. Chris smiled in spite of himself. He was sure that if Jill or Claire were here they'd been laughing at him. Chris Redfield settling down and planning for the future. It was unheard of. Well, at least until he'd met Leon.

He shook his head. He needed to refocus. They only had to pass through one more door to get back to the main hall. He was half expecting to be greeted by another one of Wesker's big 'surprises'. Perhaps another T-Virus creature. So it came as a pleasant surprise when Chris opened the door to the main hall to find that it was completely empty. They stepped out onto the second floor balcony. The cavernous main hall was tomb-like in its silence, just as it had been when they first entered. They continued across the luxurious red carpet towards the stairs that led down. Chris peered over the oak handrail, checking for movement but seeing nothing.

When they reached the lush carpet of the ground floor they stopped dead. There was an unmistakable hissing sound coming from outside the front door. It was accompanied by a symphony of tapping and clicking noises and the occasional thud as something threw itself at the strong wood.

"Lickers" Leon said. He sighed heavily. "So much for getting out of here the way we came in. Sounds like there's dozens of them out there. Even if we did have the ammo to take them all on we'd probably die trying"

"I'd kill for a grenade or two right now" Chris replied, glaring at the door. "Throw a couple of those babies through that door and they'd all be toast" He turned around to suggest they continue to explore the mansion but found that Leon was no longer by his side. Instead he was examining one of the archways underneath the grand staircase. Trying his best to ignore the feral, hungry sounds of the Licker hoard outside, he quickly trotted after Leon when the younger man seemed to disappear down a corridor. Chris remembered that when he'd been here the last time, he'd found Claire there, unconscious and cocooned by Alexia Ashford. When he rounded the corner himself he saw Leon examining a long flight of cold concrete stairs.

"Where do these lead"? Leon asked, nodding down the flight of stairs. Chris was confused. He didn't remember those stairs from either of his previous experiences in the mansion. In the dim light he could just about see what looked like a gate at the bottom.

"No idea" Chris answered. "Never seen them before"

"Could be a new way out" Leon said. "What do you say"?

"I would say it can't be any worse than a starving hoard of Lickers but this is Wesker we're talking about" Chris grinned at his partner. "But it's probably our only option so I say I we take it"

"Sounds like a plan" Leon started to walk down the stairs. Chris followed, covering his back as they moved downwards.

"Something I meant to ask," He said as they walked. "When did you start valuing my opinion"? He asked it lightly. He'd noticed the subtle change in their dynamic and although it was a welcome one he was genuinely interested as to how it had come about.

"When are you going to stop reminding me how much of a jerk I was to you"? Leon asked in a bored voice. "I started valuing your opinion when I realised that you weren't a vacuous oaf interested only in farts and beer and that you're actually a highly trained, competent individual. Incidentally, that was around the time I noticed that you had a great ass"

"Damn right"! Chris smirked. He was glad that Leon had finally come around to his way of thinking. He did indeed have a sweet ass. "But just for the record, beer and farts are still pretty cool"

"Of course" Leon replied sarcastically, stopping as they reached an undecorated iron gate. After the splendour and flamboyance of the rest of the mansion it seemed out of place. It opened easily and they stepped through, down another, smaller flight of stairs, which ended at the beginning of a passageway. The passageway was quite short, with a door clearly visible at the end. Its walls, floor and high ceiling were all made of grey concrete. Chris could see something on the walls ahead of them but it was hard to make out in the dim light. Chris stepped forward cautiously, expecting to see more S.T.A.R.S memorabilia or perhaps some images from his first time in Antarctica. What he found instead however, was much worse.

CHAPTER BREAK?

It was a photograph, grey and grainy as if it had been lifted from some CCTV footage, Leon was lying prone on the ground, blood seeping from his stomach and thigh, his face a twisted grimace of pain. The moment Wesker had shot him back in Spain. Chris knew the image well; he'd seen it enough in his nightmares.

"Don't look…" He commanded, his voice shaky. He grabbed Leon's wrist tightly and started to march forward. Unlike Richard's dummy, he couldn't easily ignore any of the images that spanned the length of this macabre passage. The next image was even more gruesome the same but blown up to A5 size and in full colour. The one after of Leon on his own in a sterile looking corridor, looking anxious and clutching a ballpoint pen in one hand. Another followed, of himself frantically trying to attend to Leon's wounds.

"Chris…"

"I said don't look"! He barked, squeezing Leon's wrist and marching onwards. He tried to keep his head down but the pictures were too hard to ignore. They were getting bigger and bigger, more close-ups of Leon's wounds, his pained face and there was more of them, papering the walls, the ceiling and even the floor beneath his feet. "Close your eyes"! He shouted. He couldn't let Leon see any of these.

"Chris…I've seen…it's ok…" Leon sounded nervous but Chris didn't care.

"It's not fucking ok"! He bellowed. The images were all the same now. Leon lying in a hospital bed, his eyes closed, the thick tube down his throat. Drips and wires snaking around him. The sheets had been pulled back and his gown lifted up so the thick dressings around his stomach and thigh were visible, spotted with blood and attached to wound drainage tubes. Chris could just about understand how Wesker had obtained the CCTV from the Spanish facility but the hospital? Someone, perhaps not him, had been in Leon's hospital room long enough to photograph him in that state. And where had he been? Out cold in some other part of the hospital, unable to do a damn thing. It was twisted. It was invasive. They hadn't just photographed him as he was, they'd touched him. Their sick, roaming hands touching his skin, pulling down the sheets, pulling up the gown. This evil stranger had touched him in places that he, his lover, hadn't even touched him. How could that possibly be ok?

In an instant, Leon felt Chris' tight vice-like grip release him. He stumbled into the wall and watched in horror as Chris let out a wail of rage before blindly and determinedly tearing all of the photographs off the walls. His gloved hands clawed at corners, ripping and tearing, crumpling, shredding and tossing aside almost rhythmically before moving on to the next one and repeating the whole process again. He was muttering to himself as he did so, jumbled up words that didn't make sense. Leon stepped backwards, out of the older man's way as his rage continued to pour out into the passageway. He was losing his grip on his determination, on his control and there was nothing Leon could do. Chris' rage was so blind that he would hit out without really knowing what he was doing. All Leon could do was take a step back and wait for it to be over.

Eventually, when every single image lay in shreds on the floor, Chris stopped. He slumped to the concrete in exhaustion, his back against the wall, sweat pouring down his forehead. He stared blankly ahead, breathing heavily. Wordlessly, Leon moved beside him, sliding down the wall himself until they were sitting next to each other. Leon stared at the opposite wall and waited silently.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed but as soon as Chris' breathing had returned to normal and the trembling had stopped, he spoke.

"Are you ready to move on or do you need more time"? He asked gently. He was certainly ready to move on. Although Chris had ordered him not to look, he'd seen enough of the photographs to know why Chris hadn't wanted him to. Seeing those images had shaken him to his very core and it had taken every single ounce of his resolve to not break down himself. When he'd seen Chris' face he knew that he couldn't. He couldn't let his partner see how much it'd affected him because it would've only made it worse. It was scary seeing Chris like this. Scarier and more unnerving than the photographs by a long shot.

"Let's move on." Chris said quietly. He got to his feet quickly, so quickly that he almost overbalanced. "But first…" He muttered. His hands moved fast, suddenly gathering together the scraps and strips of shredded photographs. He piled them up in the middle of the passageway. Leon watched in confusion wondering what hell he was doing now but knowing that he shouldn't question it. Chris worked quickly until the remains of the photographs were gathered up in one big pile. He plucked out one of the shreds at random, twisting it, before pulling out his lighter. With a quick flick, the flame burst into life and ignited the scrap in his hands. The flames licked up the shiny photographic paper, melting away the image. Chris threw the scrap into the pile and stepped back, watching as the flames spread to the other scraps. An orange glow filled the dim passageway and reflected in Chris' eyes as he continued to stare at the flames. Leon knew that it wasn't the wisest move. Setting a fire in the passageway meant that Chris was effectively blocking off an escape route. Since this part of the mansion had been new to him, they had no idea what was waiting for them behind the door. It was obvious however, that Chris wasn't thinking that clearly. Leon couldn't blame him. There was something satisfying about seeing the images warp and melt in the flames. If destroying them was what Chris needed to, if not feel better, then at least start functioning again, then they would have to worry about the potential of a blocked exit if it came up.

"Let's go" Chris said, turning on his heel and heading straight for the door.

"Do you want to talk-"? Leon started to ask as he hurried after him. Chris was moving fast, so fast, that Leon had to jog to keep up with him.

"No" Chris replied firmly, opening the door at the end of the passageway. "Do you"?

"Not particularly" Leon answered as he closed the door on the passageway. He blinked as he took in their new surroundings. Instead of another room or perhaps another passageway, they were in what looked like an alleyway. The sort of alleyway you might in a city. Over-filled bins sat in a corner on their right and cardboard was stacked against the wall. The walls themselves were grey and dirty scrawled names and dates among various delinquent messages and torn posters. The wall on the left was cracked and showing bare brick work and had a grey wooden door built into it, chipped and riddled with dry rot. Leon frowned deeply. It wasn't just the fact that they'd just walked into what looked like a city; it was the fact that it looked familiar to him. He looked upwards at what looked like a painted starry black sky way above them. He placed his hand on the door handle, feeling a shiver running through him, and pushed it open.

It opened behind the counter of a gun shop, well lit but completely ransacked as if looters had raided it. On the right, a floor to ceiling window was smashed looking like a mouth of glass teeth. Beyond that was total blackness.

Lying in a pile of broken glass was the body of a porky middle-aged man. He lay on his belly, his black hair soaked with blood, his white t-shirt stained red, his jeans and trouser suspenders ragged. His back looked like it had been torn at. Leon froze, feeling as if his body and just completely shut down. Another one of Wesker's dummies. He knew now why the alleyway had looked so damn familiar.

"That's Joe Kendo…" He heard Chris say behind him. Leon stared at the dummy, trying to force himself to move. Now Wesker was obviously done with his recreation of the Spencer Mansion, he'd moved on to Raccoon City. He felt a strong grip pull him back through the door and back into the alleyway. Chris slammed the door on the gun shop and dummy. He leant against one of the alleyway walls watching him carefully. Leon swallowed hard. It was ok. Chris had gotten through the mansion. It was fine. He could do this. He had to ignore the feelings that were threatening to erupt. He wasn't twenty-one anymore. He wasn't dressed in his cop uniform. He was older; he was highly trained and not some naïve rookie anymore. He wasn't on his own. He had Chris.

"Looks like it's my turn now…" He said shakily.

"I'm going to kill him for all of this" Chris replied. "Forget anti-viruses or overdoses. I'm going to personally snap his neck. Are you going to be alright with this? We could try and find a way back"

"It's fine" Leon answered, wishing he actually felt fine. "We'll have to go forward. Wesker wouldn't have gone to all this trouble to recreate Raccoon if there was another way around" He swallowed hard. He felt like he was twenty-one again, dressed in his cop uniform and having just rolled into the city for the first time. He had to tell himself that this was years later, that he was highly trained and that he wasn't that naïve rookie anymore. And he had Chris. Chris made all the difference.

They moved along the cold and damp alley. The smell of stale urine was convincingly strong. Leon looked upwards again. It was hard to believe that they were underground when the sky looked so real. The only real giveaway to the fact that it was a painted ceiling was how uniform the stars were. They were equidistant and unblinking, set out in a rigid grid pattern. They were probably halogen lights set into the painted black backdrop. They proceeded forwards with caution, Leon particularly on the lookout for any zombies that might decide to pop up.

They came to a familiar dead end. The back of a white van, wedged firmly into the mouth of the alleyway with the remnants of a twisted fire escape buried into its torn roof. To the right of this wreckage was an enclosed area behind a barred gate. A small basketball court oddly squeezed in between two buildings, the fire escapes from each one intruding into the court's space.

"Shit hole." Chris muttered, pointing his gun towards the court. "When I started out in the RPD I busted so many drug deals down here"

It was all so familiar and Leon had to keep reminding himself that it was all an elaborate set and nothing more. They stepped into the basketball court and he was surprised by the little details that he remembered. Details that he should've forgotten years ago. Details that the government psychiatrists he'd been forced to see had never known. He could remember the graffiti on the concrete walls of the court. 'Blood on the dance floor' and, possibly the most poignant, 'this too shall pass'.

Except instead of those poorly scrawled messages, it was something entirely different. He stepped further into the court, looking around all the walls in disbelief. The walls read like a fact file on him, on his life. When and where he was born, even what time. His educational achievements at high school and beyond. All of the stuff that had been in his personnel file. That was something that he could deal with. He knew that Wesker had read his file from the things that he'd said when they'd first met in Spain. But as he moved on, things became more un-nerving. Scrawled on the concrete were details that Wesker couldn't have possibly known because they weren't in his file. Intimate details like the name of his first love, when he'd lost his virginity and when he'd realised that he was gay. Dates and information sprawled across the walls like some sort of display. Leon was speechless and he could see Chris reading the details, his face becoming more and more hardened.

"How the hell did he know this stuff"? He demanded.

"He read my personnel file. We already know that" Leon replied. "The other stuff though…I'm not sure" He felt the first rush of anger hit him. These were things that he should've been able to tell Chris in his own time. Part of a new relationship was learning things about your partner and telling them things about you. Wesker had just effectively denied him that right. Then it all clicked into place. Krauser. "He asked Krauser"

"Krauser"? Chris frowned.

"Yeah" Leon said darkly. "Krauser knew all this stuff. We went on a bunch of missions together and as you know yourself, you get to know your partner. We used to talk in dead time, when we were just sitting around waiting for our target to show or whatever. Told each other allsorts" He shook his head at the writing. "Wesker really knows how to use everyone to his advantage doesn't he"?

"Let's go" Chris said firmly. "No point standing here and staring at this stuff" He started to move forwards, crossing the court and wrenching open a rusty gate. Leon stared at the words for a minute more before following him. He needed to get his focus back. He knew what Wesker was saying by displaying all of his private information. This is what I know about you. This is everything I could've and could still use against you. You're lucky you're still alive.

Leon moved through the gate quickly and up a set of green-painted metal stairs. The stairs led onto a gantry around the side of a building, providing access to a heavily tagged billboard and then back down again along the other side of the building. Leon remembered how he'd had to climb over a rotten blue dumpster at the bottom to reach the next alleyway. A woman had been there, zombified, and he recalled how she had just seemed incredibly ill. Indeed, if it hadn't been for the blank eyes and the torn skin, she would've just appeared to have been very ill. She'd puked on his boots as he'd stood; taking aim at more zombies that blocked the narrow passage. There was nothing like that now. Just a dumpster and a long alley stretching off left that ended in an iron gate. The gate opened onto a shopping street, police barricades on the right, a broken down Greyhound bus on the left. Directly across the road from them was a café, the seats outside occupied by still bodies caked in gore. The bus was part of a crash scene, blocking the street, and at one end Leon could make out the smashed front end of the white van, crumpled into the alleyway they had been in before. The street around them was littered with more convincing dummies of corpses and the stench, although obviously manufactured, was unbearable.

The bus lights were still on and Chris could make out plenty of dead bodies in most of the seats. Despite how different it looked, Chris recognised this as the street that ran directly in front of the RPD building. He used to walk down it to and from work every day and he'd spent many afternoons sitting in the café, having a coffee and catching up with Claire's college exploits. He'd left Raccoon before it'd all turned to hell and even though Jill had told him some of what had happened, it hadn't prepared him for seeing the town he'd grown up in reduced to some sort of Umbrella testing ground or at least a representation of it. He tried not to focus on the destruction around him. He clung onto those happy memories of him and Claire and, of course, Leon. Jill had been right when she'd said that he and Leon needed each other to get through this. Without Leon, all of this would've been so much harder.

"This was exactly how it was before." Leon spoke suddenly, nodding at the street. "I was heading for the Police Station and it looks like it's the same way he's leading us now"

They stepped forward, the stink of rotting flesh heavy in the frigid air. A sudden wet slap noise made Chris turn around. A body, impaled through the torso on the back of a broken chair was slowly pulling itself up. The metal spikes eventually popped out of the collapsed torso and, with no regard for the wound, the corpse staggered forward.

"Fucking Zombie"! He shouted, opening fire. Leon's gunshots joined his and he felt the young man's back press against his own back. More had obviously started to rise from the bus and the other side of the street. Other bodies from the café were now heading towards them, joined by ones that had clawed themselves free of the parked cars. In what felt like seconds, a whole crowd surrounded them. Chris continued to fire, feeling Leon occasionally bump into his back from his own shots. Each zombie's head popped as he repeated hit the mark again and again. He'd once been S.T.A.R.S finest marksman and he was living up to that reputation now.

"You ok"? He shouted at Leon.

"Yep" came the reply. "Got half of them down. You"?

"One more" Chris replied, firing and sending the final zombie on his side down to the floor. He whipped round quickly and started firing alongside Leon. They floored the remaining zombies in seconds, each body hitting the ground with a wet thump. They reloaded quickly in case another wave decided to descend. "Think I won that round."

"Fuck you" Leon said good-naturedly. "We need to go through the bus"

"Gotcha" Chris nodded. They headed for the blood soaked bus and moved through it quickly. A straggler tried to climb through the window and grab at them but he managed to fend it off by delivering a strong blow to the creature's soft head. It moaned and slumped out of the window, dead.

On the other side of the bus, the street widened. An abandoned fire truck was sitting skewed across the street. Many of the squad cars that joined it were smashed, the bodies of beat cops and SWAT members littered all around. Chris fired a cursory shot into the nearest body and moved closer to examine it.

"More dummies" He said after checking out the hollow hole the bullet had created.

On their left was a low wall topped with wrought iron railings, which ran the length of the street up to a roadblock. Through the railings Chris could see the courtyard full of saplings and planters and beyond that, the front entrance of the RPD building. Chris briefly wondered how Wesker had gotten the plant life to grow without natural sunlight but as they pushed the gate open and walked into the courtyard, he could see that the glossiness of the leaves was too unnatural. They were obviously plastic. The grass in the courtyard was also fake, obviously Astroturf. As they moved towards the entrance to the building, he noticed that the windows they were passing show nothing but sheer blackness inside.

The double doors were just as he remembered, stained a deep bluish green and framed at either side by an American flag and one bearing the RPD insignia. The only difference was the photo that was pinned to the door. It was the same picture that he'd seen in Spain. Leon and Sherry outside the miniature golf course, smiling happily. Chris reached out to try and grab it before Leon saw but he was too late. Leon stopped in front of the photo, staring at it blankly for a few moments. Chris couldn't be sure if it was the one from Leon's house or a copy. It didn't look like Leon's copy. It was creased and worn at the edges as if someone had kept it. Leon pulled it off and folded it up, placing it into one of his pockets wordlessly.

"You never really told me much about Sherry" Chris said gently.

"No" was Leon's quiet response. It wasn't forceful or defensive. Just sad. Chris didn't want to push him any further.

Chris put a hand on the door and braced himself for a full on recreation of the RPD building and, no doubt, another lot of monsters. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door, Leon following close behind. Instead of the cavernous loneliness of the RPD main hall it was a plain room with a high ceiling, painted entirely grey and bare aside from a huge extractor fan in the right hand wall and a series of strip lights across the ceiling. The well-lit room seemed a stark contrast to the pools of murky street lamplight 'outside'. It was clean and empty with no shadows hiding anything.

If he had to take a guess, Chris figured that they were done with the games and recreations and had actually reached the place where Wesker carried out his work. This room was functional and straight forward compared to the elaborate and flamboyant reconstructions they'd just been through. At the end of the room was a shiny chrome lift door with a single button at the side of it that had an arrow pointed upwards. Chris moved to call the lift but turned around quickly when he heard a choked gasp come from Leon.

Just like he'd seen him do shortly after their arrival in Antarctica, he was hunched over, clutching his stomach. Chris raced over to him and managed to catch him before he crashed to the floor. He helped him to his hands and knees and watched in horror, as he started to cough and retch so hard his entire body undulated and shook.

"Shit Leon…" Chris stroked the hair from his partner's sweaty face. There was nothing he could do. He'd already realised that earlier. It was obviously some sort of attack caused by the virus inside of him. All he could was wait for it to pass over just like before. It was hard to do when the younger man was obviously in incredible pain. He continued to cough and retch, taking in huge gulps of air in between each cough. "That's it Leon" Chris found himself saying encouragingly. "Just keep breathing…it's ok…it's ok." He kept stroking his hair; more for his own benefit that Leon's. When he raised his hand to continue he noticed the spots of blood on his forearm. The blood in his veins felt as if it had turned to ice. "Oh fuck…" He put his hand to his partner's mouth. "C'mon Leon, cough into my hand…that's it…" Leon coughed again and when Chris removed his hand, a small pool of blood was sitting in his palm. He wiped it quickly across his t-shirt. This wasn't good. He felt Leon slump into his hold, the coughing subsiding and making way of deep gulps of air. He carefully pulled Leon off his hands and knees and helped him into a sitting position with his back against the wall. He offered him a hit from his water bottle, which Leon took gratefully, gulping it down quickly. "Leon, you were coughing up…"

"I know" Leon interrupted, wiping his mouth and setting the water bottle down. "I could taste it." He added.

"You're getting worse…" Chris said. He felt as if he was on the verge of tears. Stupid recreations, sick dummies, even fucked up photographs; these were all things that he could cope with. Leon coughing up blood, this was something he couldn't cope with. It meant that whatever was going on with the virus, it was getting worse.

"S'probably just from the coughing" Leon replied, his voice raw and croaky from the coughing. "Ruptured a blood vessel or something" He held a hand. "Help me up"

Chris grabbed Leon's hand and pulled him back to his feet. He wasn't in the slightest bit convinced that the blood was from a ruptured blood vessel. He was pretty sure Leon wasn't either. He was obviously just saying it to try and make him feel better. He pulled Leon close and gave him a kiss. He felt the younger man's arms wrap around him and hug back tightly.

"I love you" Chris had said the words before he'd even thought about it. He hadn't wanted to say it in the middle of one of Wesker's facilities. He'd wanted to say it while they were having a romantic meal or while they were lying in bed together. He couldn't believe that he'd just come out with it like that!

"I love you too" Leon's reply was quiet and simple and Chris knew that he hadn't messed things up at all.

"Good. Glad we got that sorted." Chris said matter-of-factly, feeling a blush creep onto his cheeks. He never was good at the whole pouring your heart out sort of thing. "And don't give me shit about blood vessels. It's the virus. You know it. I know it. We need to find a cure for it and soon"

"Well this place looks like it might be the start of some labs" Leon replied. "Let's go up the lift and see where it leads us"

"Are you alright to keep going or do you need to rest for a bit"? Chris asked, looking Leon over. He still looked pale and a little shaky. He looked exhausted but that was nothing new. He'd looked like that for days.

"We'll go" Leon answered, breaking away from Chris' grip and reaching for the lift's call button, pressing it.

"Have some more water first" Chris ordered, picking the bottle up from the floor and holding it out. Leon rolled his eyes but didn't argue, taking another hit before handing it back.

The lift journey was long and once again, it was impossible to know how many floors they were climbing. Leon's stomach muscles were aching and his throat was still raw from the coughing fit. He'd hoped that his excuse of a ruptured blood vessel would work but it obviously hadn't. Even though Chris hadn't read any of the literature on the Plagas virus, he wasn't stupid. Leon was just thankful that the older man didn't have a clue as to what coughed up blood actually meant. He knew that it was a worsening of the symptoms but that was it. Leon however, knew perfectly well what it meant. It meant that the egg that had been planted inside of his body when Wesker shot him had finally hatched. It had lain dormant in his system for over a year and now Wesker had 'activated' it, it was growing at an alarming rate. He knew that once the egg had hatched that it was potentially harder to kill it. Slowly his personality would ebb away and he would no longer be able to resist Wesker's commands. He had a rough idea of what Wesker might want him to do and the sheer thought of it was enough to make him want to take his own life right now. Only he couldn't do that. He had to keep hoping that they would find a cure. The likelihood of stumbling across it though wasn't good. He was pretty sure that Wesker wouldn't just leave something like that lying around. Unless it was another part of his game. Make them both suffer like this and then present them with the anti-virus. Another way to try and break them both. Maybe Wesker wanted to drive him to the point of suicide? He didn't make any secret of the fact that he wasn't interested in him in any way. Maybe that was the game. Wesker wanted to push him to kill himself so that he could finally break Chris. His mind spun with all the possibilities.

The lift stopped and the door opened to reveal a considerably colder room, almost uncomfortably so. Skylights were built into the ceiling a few storeys up, letting natural light filter in. The sudden drop in temperature reminded them of their location. With the heating of the mansion and the city streets, they'd forgotten that they were in Antarctica. To the left of the lift was a small security office. The door to the office was open and they could clearly see that it was empty and a fine layer of dust covered the fixtures and fittings, indicating that it hadn't been used for a while. Directly in front of them, across the large expanse of the room, was a freight elevator that appeared to go to the surface. It had no sides, just a hand-rail all around the edge. Leon noted its location as a possible escape route should they need it. Off to their right was another door made of heavy steel.

Wordlessly, they both headed for the door. It slid open on oiled tracks with a hissing noise, obviously controlled by a motion sensor. It opened onto another corridor. Its ceiling and walls were painted a sterile white and the floor was made up of perforated metal panels that made their footsteps clang loudly in the silence. The corridor ended at a T-junction. The right branch of the corridor led to a break room. They examined it but found nothing of interest. There was a sofa, some lockers, a vending machine and a desktop computer. The only remotely interesting thing was the mug of tea that sat on the desk at the side of the computer. It was half-drunk and still appeared to be warm, a lipstick mark clearly imprinted onto its rim.

"Well unless Wesker is doing an Alfred Ashford, it looks like he's got staff here" Chris remarked upon examining the mug.

"Alfred Ashford"? Leon asked. He was sure he'd heard the name mentioned before but it didn't mean anything to him.

"I'll tell you when you're a grown up" Chris answered infuriatingly. Leon shook his head and decided to let it go.

They moved out of the break room and headed down the left branch of the T-junction. It opened into a cold stairwell featureless except for strip lights built into the wall at intervals. The steel stairs seemed to lead down two floors. They moved down one floor quickly, stopping in a long steel and concrete hall that opened out into a waiting area with a bench and potted plants. There was also a huge shutter to their right adorned with warning symbols and signs such as 'Use Only In Case Of Emergency' and 'Restricted Personnel Only'. A large red biohazard symbol was emblazoned across it. On closer inspection, Leon could see that it was locked shut with an electronic lock/card reader by it.

There was another corridor at the other end of the waiting area and they took this, cautious as they turned a corner. The corridor opened out into another room with high ceilings. Large, thick pipes snaked across one of the walls and a big heavy door took up the entirety of another wall, a black mat in front of it. A sign on the door read 'Authorized Personnel Only'. It was looking like they were finally in the labs. Leon stepped forward to try and work out a way to get the door open. As soon as his feet touched the black mat, the door open slowly. It revealed a large white room cluttered with computer terminals on white metal tables. Notice boards with all sorts of chemical jargon and equations on them adorned the walls, alongside a couple of large light boxes with X-ray films of unknown body parts attached to them. Wires trailed across the floor from one side to another, connecting computer terminals to unrecognisable instruments and things like centrifuges loaded with glass sample tubes.

A huge table was at the other side of the room, cluttered with lab equipment and notepads and vials of different coloured liquids. It was then that Leon noticed the woman standing at it with her back to them. She was tall and thin with shoulder length blond hair styled into a neat bob. She was slightly leant over, seemingly engrossed in whatever it was she was studying, oblivious to the fact that the door had just opened and that he and Chris were standing there watching her. Leon nodded at Chris who rose his handgun.

"Hands up where we can see them and slowly turn around" He shouted. The woman jumped in shock but wordlessly complied, raising her hands in the air and turning around. There was a confused look on her face, which quickly turned to utter shock when she saw them. Leon knew that her look was reflected in his own features.

END OF CHAPTER SEVEN.


	8. Chapter 8

Notes:- Here we are people! The final chapter of The Facility Aftermath! Thanks to everyone who has read this story and extra thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review it!

The Facility Aftermath

Chapter Eight

A terrible flashback to his night in Raccoon hit him. Rounding a corner in those disgusting, vile sewers to find this very woman standing there, her gun raised. Without any warning she fired at him and the bullet hit his left shoulder. He cried out in pain and she ran away. He could still feel the bullet's hot kiss as he heard her footsteps thunder away. But how could it be? She'd died that night. He'd seen it happen before his very eyes. She'd made him promise to tell Sherry that she loved her…

"Annette"? He choked out when his words finally returned to him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Chris' confused expression.

"An-Annette was my mo-mother's name" The woman replied nervously. Her hands were trembling visibly.

"Oh my god. Sherry"? Leon immediately dropped his gun. Of course it was Sherry. He hadn't seen her for years and when she invaded his thoughts, she was still that twelve-year-old girl he'd rescued from Raccoon. But that was years ago. She was a grown woman now, well into her twenties. Her eyes widened in surprise when she finally realised who he was.

"Leon"? She was looking nervously at Chris who still had his gun raised, albeit not as tensely. Her blue eyes held a mixture of fear and surprise. "What are you doing here"? She sounded a lot like her mother when she spoke and the physical resemblance was spooky.

"I could ask you the same question" He replied. He moved forward, wanting to pull her into his arms. He'd heard nothing about her since she'd been taken from him and although he'd tried to find out, he'd always been told that she was no longer his concern. He felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder, yanking him backwards, he turned around to see Chris' face set hard, his mouth a grim line.

"Hold on a second" He ordered. "This is a lovely reunion and all but she works for Wesker" His gun was still pointed at her head. Leon knew Chris had a point. Sherry wasn't actually his family, she had no real reason to be loyal to him and she could easily be a threat, just as her mother and father had been. Despite this, Leon still wanted to tear the gun from the older man's grip. "You need to start giving us some answers" He directed the remark at her, as cold and unyielding as he'd been with Ada back in Africa. Chris was right to be suspicious, Leon knew that. It was just hard to fight that protective instinct he had towards Sherry. In his mind, just as she'd always been, she was still his ward.

"W…what do you want to know"? She asked, her eyes not leaving Leon's, almost as if she couldn't believe he was actually standing there. Her hands were still trembling violently and she looked as if she wanted to burst into tears. Enemy or no, she was only a young woman and she didn't deserve to be treated this way.

"Chris, stop it" He commanded forcefully. Chris glared at him in disbelief. Leon chose to ignore it. "She's obviously terrified," He pointed out. "If she was going to try anything don't you think she would've done already" Not wanting to hear any argument Chris might have, he turned his attentions back to Sherry. "He does have a point though," He said gently. "Why are you here"?

"I've been here for years" Sherry replied, swallowing hard. "Albert brought me here after I graduated early from college" She explained, her hands still in the air. "He said he had some important work for me to do. He said he was sorry for what I went through and that he needed my help to make sure nothing like Raccoon City ever happened again. He set me up here and gave me my own lab-"

"Are you blind"? Chris snapped, so suddenly and harshly that he made her jump.

"Chris"! Leon chastised.

"Do you have any idea what he's doing you stupid little girl"? Chris fumed. "He's not preventing another outbreak! He's encouraging one"! Leon knew what Chris was doing. All of his anger about their situation, about his infection, was coming out. Sherry, to him, represented the face of Wesker's work and he needed someone to direct all of his anger at. Leon opened his mouth to try and calm him down but Sherry got there first.

"I know that" She said levelly. She started to drop her hands and when Chris didn't argue, she carried on. "Contrary to what you've just assumed, I'm not a stupid little girl" She said it as confidently as she could, even though she was still shaking. "It didn't take me very long to work out what he was doing. I have relative freedom at this facility. He doesn't really interfere with my work or oversee in it any way. I'm supposed to be developing the Plagas Virus for him. He claims that he needs it to operate at its maximum potential to destroy any remaining G or Veronica creatures. I know that he's planning to use it on humans to create an army"

"How did you end up working for him in the first place"? Leon asked.

"Albert's my godfather" Sherry admitted. "He was good friends with my father and they worked together for years. He'd always promised to look after me should anything happen to my parents" She looked at the ground. "When…when you went away I didn't have anyone…He paid my college fees and supported me throughout the course. He gave me an apartment to live in with a couple of college friends. He gave me money which he claimed came from my mother and father's personal savings but I was never too sure. I'd always wanted to go to college and even though I had my reservations about him he was the only way I could achieve my dream," She explained.

"I didn't want to leave you Sherry" Leon replied. "Trust me. I didn't have a choice, they never gave me a choice…"

"I know" Sherry nodded. "He tried feeding me lies. He told me that you'd chosen your career over me, that I was your little project that enabled you to play the hero. I never believed him," She explained, offering him a small smile. "I know you weren't like that"

"They wouldn't let me see you. Or even tell me where you were" Leon replied, feeling almost as if he was on the verge of tears. For years Sherry had haunted his thoughts. It was very rare that a day would go by without him thinking about her and how she was. It had hurt so much when they'd been torn apart from each other, almost as if he'd lost a family member. Every single year he sent her a birthday card. It was silly. He never addressed it. He didn't know the address. He'd just written her name on the envelope and put it into the post box. There was something about going through those motions that eased his pain a little. 

Chris watched the exchange, feeling as if he'd been pushed to the sidelines. He could understand the happiness and probable relief that Leon was feeling at seeing Sherry again but the situation was making him feel a little uneasy. They were standing in the middle of one of Wesker's facilities! Sherry was his goddaughter! She was obviously also very intelligent. What if this was all another one of Wesker's traps? They hadn't come this far and through so much to fail at the last hurdle.

"So if you knew all along that was he's been doing is so bad, why the hell didn't you get out of here"? He suddenly demanded, ignoring the filthy look that Leon shot him.

Sherry opened her mouth to explain but was cut off when Leon started to cough. Chris forgot all about watching her and turned his attentions to his lover. Leon had slumped against one of the counters, clutching his stomach, his coughing becoming increasingly more violent. Chris was at his side in an instant, grabbing hold of the younger man's hand and rubbing his back at the same time. He felt Leon lean into him as the coughs and convulsions wracked his body once more. Blood flew from his lips, spotting the floor and spattering Chris' arm and uniform.

"Oh god…" Chris heard Sherry gasp and, just like him, she rushed to Leon's other side. Leon gasped, frantically sucking in air as he tried to explain that he was ok. "Help me get him over there" Sherry ordered, nodding her head towards a small gurney in the corner of the room. Chris nodded and wordlessly helped her move Leon, slowly and carefully, over to the gurney.

"Fine…" Leon gasped. "Don't…worry…"

"Shut up" Chris said firmly as he helped Sherry get Leon into a comfortable position on the gurney.

"How long has he been infected"? Chris was suddenly aware that Sherry was speaking to him. Her eyes were full of concern but also a steely determination. Even though he wasn't sure whether or not he fully trusted her, her look gave him hope.

"Not long…" Chris replied. How long had it been? He felt as if they'd been chasing Wesker forever.

"Plagas Virus…" Sherry was muttering to herself as she grabbed some tissues for Leon to cough into. "Egg's already hatched…"

"Is there something you can do for him"? Chris asked. Leon was clutching his hand so tightly; his knuckles were beginning to go white. Chris wiped the younger man's sweaty fringe away from his forehead and kissed the clammy skin. When he moved away, he could see the fear in Leon's blue eyes.

"We can…trust…her…" He said in between coughs. The tissue in his free hand had become saturated with blood. The red liquid stained his partner's lips and chin. Something needed to be done. He trusted Leon's judgement implicitly. If he deemed Sherry to be trustworthy then Chris was just going to have to learn to trust her too, despite his reservations.

"Leon"? Sherry was back at their side. "I've got something that can help you" She put her hand on his shoulder. "I developed an anti-virus for the Plagas…" She explained as Leon nodded.

"Give it to him then"! Chris demanded. Leon's coughing fit seemed to have dissipated and the younger man was now slumped onto the gurney's thin pillow. His face was horribly pale and little beads of sweat had gathered on his forehead. His eyes were dull with pain and it was obvious that he was struggling to focus on what Sherry was saying.

"There's a problem" Sherry replied irritably. Chris had to admire her confidence. She was still a young girl, a little slip of a thing and here she was giving him attitude. Maybe he'd misjudged her. "I haven't tested it on a human subject or when the egg is fully hatched like yours obviously is" She continued. "What I'm effectively saying is that I don't fully know what will happen if I give you the anti-virus. I can guarantee that it will kill the Plagas but what I don't know is what side effects you'll experience and how painful it will be," She sounded apologetic and Chris felt himself warming towards her. From the way she was speaking and the concerned way she was looking at Leon, it was obvious that she cared for him a great deal.

"But you'll still give it to him right"? Chris asked.

"If its what he wants" Sherry said with a nod. "I have some basic medical equipment here in the lab that I can use should he arrest or fit but I don't think either one of those outcomes is very likely" She turned her attention back to Leon. "I'm hoping that the most it will do is make you vomit or possibly briefly lose consciousness"

"It's worth the risk" Leon said quietly. His eyes met Chris'. "What do you say"?

"Damn right" Chris replied confidently. He didn't like the idea that Leon might suffer in any way but a little puking or passing out would be a lot better than a lifetime of servitude to Albert Wesker. "I'll be right here for you"

"Of course you will be" Leon smiled despite the obvious pain he was in. "You're annoying like that"

Chris nodded but couldn't help the fear that slowly crept up within him. Sherry was busy at her desk, obviously readying whatever it was she needed to administer the anti-virus. Chris kissed Leon's sweaty forehead once more and gave his hand a quick squeeze before walking over to the desk.

Sherry was bent over it, opening a small, gold, circular shaped locket. Inside the locket was a tiny vial, which was, Chris assumed, the anti-virus. Seeing Chris' shadow fall over her desk, Sherry quickly turned around.

"Albert would never find it here" She said by way of explanation.

"You won't-" Chris started. His mouth had suddenly become horribly dry. He swallowed hard and tried again. "You won't, let him…die will you"? He finished quietly. He hated showing any kind of vulnerability to a stranger; particularly one who was so closely linked to Wesker but the fear of losing Leon far outweighed something as trivial and silly as that. He looked over at Leon, who was still laying prone on the gurney, his eyes closed. He looked utterly exhausted. "If he dies…"

"He won't die" Sherry cut him off quickly. She turned her attentions back to the small vial, extracting its contents using a hypodermic needle. When the syringe was full, she tapped it a few times to let out any air and carefully placed a cap on it. "It's ready" She took a small first aid kit from one of her desk drawers and walked back over to Leon who, upon hearing their footsteps, opened his eyes. "Are you ready"? She asked gently.

"Born ready" Leon replied, smirking at Chris.

"But are you ready now"? Chris finished for him. He knew what Leon was doing. He was trying to ease the situation by messing around. Only, Chris had never felt less like laughing in his life. They were effectively going into this blind with no idea of what the consequences might be, despite Sherry's apparent confidence. 

Chris watched as Sherry opened the first aid kit and started to wipe a patch of skin on Leon's arm with an alcohol wipe. The dirt, blood and sweat that had collected throughout their time in Africa and Antarctica came away, staining the pad a horrible grey-red colour. The patch of skin looked alarmingly bright and pale against the filthy skin that surrounded it. Chris looked down at his own arms, realising for the first time just how dirty they both were. He resolved to take a very long bath when they returned home, preferably with Leon in the tub with him. That was, of course, presuming that Leon made it home.

"Stop it" Leon's voice jolted him back to reality. "Stop thinking the worst" He ordered, almost as if he'd read Chris' mind. He let out a quiet hiss of pain as Sherry gently sunk the needle into his upper arm.

Chris felt as if time had completely stopped. He waited with baited breath for some kind reaction. Judging by Sherry's intense expression, she was feeling the exact same way. Leon lay back on the gurney, his eyes closed. 

Finally, after what felt like an age spent fretting and feeling stupidly scared, Leon vomited. He managed to lean to the side of the gurney so that the vomit spewed onto the shiny tiled floor. It splashed onto the toes of Chris' hiking trainers. It was then that he noticed the colour. Chris, for better or for worse, considered himself somewhat of an expert on puke. He'd spent enough of his life with his head down a toilet bowl after a heavy night's drinking to know what was normal and what wasn't. He'd seen some interesting kinds in his time, like the bright blue puke he'd had after chasing a few shots of some blue coloured spirit. What was coming from Leon's mouth however, was far from normal and far from something to boast about later to the guys in the bar. Leon's puke was an unnatural greenish-white colour. The slightly acidic, bile-like smell seemed stronger than normal too.

Sherry snapped into action, quickly locating a small basin and bringing it over for Leon to use. He nodded gratefully as he retched and heaved, vomiting over and over again. Chris stood by his side, gently rubbing his partner's back. He felt a strange mixture of concern and relief. It was obviously a huge relief that Leon hadn't lost consciousness but at the same time, it was concerning that he was vomiting so much.

"I think…I'm done…" Leon said after a few moments of dry heaves. Sherry offered him a water bottle and Leon sipped from it gratefully, occasionally swilling the water around his mouth and spitting it out into the bucket.

"How do you feel"? Sherry asked. It was then Chris noticed that she had hold of Leon's hand and was gently stroking it. If Chris needed any more convincing of how much she truly cared for him then that was it. He offered her a smile and she smiled back at it despite her present concern for Leon.

"Shaky…" Leon answered, taking one last hit from the water bottle before handing it back to her. "But all things considered…not too bad"

"So the anti-virus has worked"? Chris asked eagerly.

"Hopefully" Sherry replied. "The only way to know for sure is to perform a scan. I don't have the necessary equipment here unfortunately"

"It's alright," Leon said reassuringly. "I agreed to this knowing that there were no certainties"

"I'd feel happier if I knew for sure" Chris grumbled. He was staring at Leon, desperately looking for any signs of the godforsaken virus still being there. He was pale, but then, Leon was always pale. He didn't look as ill as he had done just a few moments ago but that seemed to happen after an 'attack'. "If that thing is still in you then we need to find out as soon as possible," He said, nodding to confirm his own thoughts. "We need to get you home"

"God, home sounds good right now" Leon replied. He held out his hand and Chris took it as he slowly and carefully got to his feet. He swayed slightly but quickly regained his balance. He turned his attentions to Sherry. "And you're going to come with us right"?

"I…I can't leave" Sherry said. "He never said as much but I've always been given the impression that I don't really have a choice when it comes to my being here" She swallowed hard, tears beginning to form in her eyes. "I know that he sees me as nothing more than a valuable commodity because of my intelligence"

Leon felt a horrible churning in his stomach that he knew had nothing to do with his recent dose of anti-virus. Sherry might've grown up and gotten her college degree, but the person who was standing in front of him now looked horribly like the scared little girl that haunted his memories of Raccoon City. He wanted to gather her up in his arms and just hold her, like he had done during those first few nights when they'd holed in some horrible motel at the back of beyond just after the incident. She'd suffered terrible nightmares back then, waking up in the middle of the night, crying out for her mother and father, babbling incoherently about the various monsters they'd encountered. He'd been there for her, running into her little bedroom in the middle of the night, hugging her as she sobbed relentlessly against his chest. He was all she had in the world and he'd struggled to create some sort of normalcy for her. The government had granted him temporary custody and given him time to get his life sorted before sending him to Basic Training. So he'd dipped into his savings and found a small apartment in Washington. He'd done his research and found a good therapist who'd agreed to meet with Sherry once a week. He'd enrolled her in a local school and made sure that he was always there to collect her when the school day finished. He kept busy, for both their sakes, filling weekends with activities like bowling or going to the movies and that one time they'd gone miniature golfing. The higher ups in the Government had promised him that he would be granted full guardianship of her and, for all intents and purposes, be her foster father.

But then he'd been called to Basic Training. He'd arranged for his brother and his wife to look after her whilst he was away. Only the government had lied. The goodbye he'd given her when he left for Basic Training had been the last time he'd spoken to her. She didn't go to his brother's place. He didn't know where she'd gone. She was torn from his life just like that. He was ordered to forget her; she was no longer his concern. She was being looked after and that was all he needed to know. Any attempts he made to find her or contact her were thwarted. He'd thought about her every day since.

"I won't let him hurt you," He said gently. He reached out for her hand and she took it. He could feel her trembling. He was aware that Chris was watching them carefully but no longer seemed to be wary of her. Using this as his confirmation, Leon pulled her into a tight hug. "You understand that he has to die"? He felt her nod against his shoulder. She was no longer that little girl. He couldn't chase away her demons as easily but, just as he had been all those years ago, he was determined to rescue her. "He's too dangerous to be kept alive"

"I can help you" Sherry broke the hug and took a step backwards, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her lab coat.

"Do you know where he is"? Chris asked eagerly. Leon felt the older man give his hand a quick, reassuring squeeze.

"He might be in his private quarters" She replied. "That shutter that you probably saw before you came in here, that leads there. I have a copy of the card key" She hurried over to her desk and pulled a small silver key out of her pocket. She unlocked the bottom drawer and quickly located what looked like a blank silver credit card. She handed it over to Leon who looked down at it in confusion.

"You're not coming with us"? He asked.

"Leave the shutter open and I'll follow" She replied. "I've got something to help you but I need to go and fetch it"

"Then we'll wait" Leon said adamantly, ignoring Chris' exasperated sigh. "We'll wait here while you go get it"

Sherry shook her head.

"He probably already knows that you're here" She nodded at the card key. "You need to go after him before he gets the chance to escape. He's got all sorts of creatures here that he will unleash if he leaves. I'll be ok. I know my way around here"

"She's right Leon" Chris interrupted. "We need to get moving. I don't know about you but I'm done chasing the psycho around his fucked up facilities"

Leon still had his reservations but he knew that both Chris and Sherry had a point. They'd already spent too much of their lives chasing Albert Wesker so now they'd been presented with the perfect opportunity to end things once and for all, they had to take it. For the greater good, he told himself with only a hint of bitterness. Something he'd been fighting for most of his adult life. Sherry was an adult now. She could handle herself and like she said, she knew her way around the place. They weren't in Raccoon City now, strangers to the hallways of the Police Station. He took a deep breath, fighting down whatever internal argument remained before nodding in agreement. He slipped the card key into his pocket.

"Let's go"

"See you soon" Sherry said, giving his hand a final squeeze. Obviously thinking that Leon was about to change his mind, she hurried off towards a door in the corner of the room. Now that she was gone he really had no choice but to keep pressing on until they found the man responsible for all of this. 

They made their way back to the shutter and quickly located the card key machine. Leon slipped it into the slot and a row of lights above the shutter slowly turned green. The shutter started to open smoothly and it was only half way up when Chris moved forwards and ducked under it. Leon followed close behind, a horrible sense of foreboding invading his senses.

And he was right to be worried. They'd just stepped into a massive room, akin to the size of a small aircraft hangar. The floor was made of grey tiles and the walls that sickening sterile white colour. There were two doors along the back wall, one of which presumably led to Wesker's private quarters. Above them was a gantry that encircled the room and above that, a steel grey ceiling that looked as if it opened up. Leon wondered if this actually did serve as a hangar, probably for Wesker's private aircraft, the gantry designed to make it easier for any maintenance work to be carried out on the fuselage.

A door slammed suddenly, startling them both. A loud clacking of boots on the tiled floor echoed around the room. Simultaneously they turned their attentions to one of the doors along the back wall. Wesker was walking towards them, slowly and deliberately, the arrogant predatory smile across his face. He was dressed entirely in black, a black fitted top with tight black leather pants and black boots ending just below his knee. His black shades hide his eyes as usual and his blonde hair was slicked back.

"Going for the bondage queen look are we"? Chris taunted, his voice a deep growl, full of hatred.

"Christopher" Wesker said smoothly, as if he'd just noticed they were standing there. "I really think such a comment is unnecessary" He continued to stalk forwards. "I think, given the current circumstances, that such a description would be more suited to you don't you think"? His smirk widened. "I would have never taken you for a homosexual. Although" His head turned to regard Leon. "I must admit you have chosen a pretty one" He opened his mouth to continue but whatever he said was drowned out by a shot from Chris' shotgun.

"I've had with you" Chris snarled as Wesker easily dodged the shell. "Never did know when to shut the fuck up"! He fired again and Leon joined him, both of them firing off shots as quickly as they could. Wesker dodged each bullet and shell easily, using his inhuman speed. He kept smirking throughout, a condescending and patronizing twitch of his lips that told them they were wasting their time. Chris obviously thought so too. Without any warning, he dropped his shotgun and rushed Wesker, colliding with him and nearly knocking him off his feet. Wesker recovered quickly and kicked Chris hard in the knee causing the older man to cry out in pain. As he stumbled backwards Wesker punched him hard in the face. Chris, still stumbling, responded by spitting blood in his face. Wesker snarled and Leon used his momentary focus on Chris to line up a perfect headshot. He was about to pull the trigger when Chris was back on his former captain, punching him in the side of his head.

"Chris! What the hell are you doing"? Leon called out. "I could've shot you"!

"Yes Chris" Wesker said, the smirk back on his face. "What are you doing? Surely you don't think that just because you've pumped your body full of steroids you're a match for me"?

Chris responded with another punch, a hard right hook that Wesker easily dodged, coming back quickly with his own right hook, connecting perfectly with Chris' ribs.

"Pathetic" Wesker snarled as Chris reeled back. This time he didn't give Chris any time to recover. He moved forward gracefully and backhanded him across the face. Blood splattering across his black leather glove as Chris' lip split. He followed up with a swift knee to the older man's stomach.

This all seemed to happen in seconds and Leon found himself torn. He knew that he couldn't shoot because there was a danger he would Chris. Rushing Wesker himself wasn't a good idea because he didn't have Chris strength. He frantically looked around for something he could use as a weapon but the only thing that looked remotely useful was a fire axe encased behind some glass.

Chris was on the floor now, blood smeared across his face. Wesker was standing over him, laughing to himself. He moved like lightening, one hand grabbing hold of Chris' thick neck and hauling him to his feet and then a few inches off the floor so he dangled. He moaned with pain at the movement, struggling in Wesker's vice-like grip. Wesker started to squeeze his neck; Chris' kicks became more desperate as he was effectively choked. Leon resisted the urge to panic. He needed to act and he needed to act fast. He grabbed his combat knife and, with the deadly accuracy that had gained him fleeting fame at Basic Training, let it fly. The silver blade sunk into Wesker's left shoulder causing the twisted man to cry out in pain. He released his grip and Chris crashed to the floor. Wesker turned round quickly, his gaze turning to Leon.

"Pesky rat" He spat, making no movements to extract the knife from his shoulder. "How about I make you kill your precious boyfriend hmm? Make you choke him with your bare hands whilst he pleads with you? Then when he's dead, how would you like me to release my control over you so you can admire your work"?

"Do it" Leon said with a shrug. There was a brief flicker of doubt in Leon's stomach. He was taking a big risk. If Sherry's anti-virus didn't work and Wesker could still control him, he didn't doubt that the ex-S.T.A.R.S captain would make him kill Chris. Wesker was grinning at him, obviously relishing the situation. Behind him, Chris was slowly attempting to get back to his feet.

Wesker opened his mouth, no doubt to command Leon to attack when he suddenly jerked forwards, almost as if he'd been hit in the back. There was a brief look of confusion on Wesker's face as he whipped around to see who'd hit him. He snarled when he discovered the perpetrator. Leon followed his eye line and saw Sherry standing on the gantry, a large rifle in her hands.

"It's sedative"! She yelled out, catching Leon's eye. "It should slow him down-"

Leon watched in horror as, in a matter of seconds, a thick, slimy black tentacle shot out of Wesker's shoulder and wrapped around the railing of the gantry. With an inhuman cry of rage, Wesker hauled the railing, rocking the gantry. Sherry let out a scream of terror as the rifle fell from her hands, narrowly missing Chris' head. Leon shot at Wesker's tentacle but to no avail. Just like the beast back in Spain, the bullets merely bounced off its slick skin. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sherry frantically trying to remain on her feet as the gantry rocked and swayed dangerously. He looked to his left and saw Chris aiming the rifle at the flailing tentacle.

But it was all too late. With one final, co-ordinated tug from the tentacle, Sherry lost her balance. A blood-curdling high-pitched scream seemed to reverberate around the entire hangar until it was silenced by a sickening crunch.

Leon had watched her fall. Unable to tear his eyes away from his former ward's fatal fall. She'd landed on her head, her entire body weight forcing her neck to snap. Her lifeless body slumped to the ground, her head a mess of blood and gore, splattered across the pristine white tiles. A scream caught in Leon's throat and stayed there, unable to escape as he stared at her body.

He'd turned his gaze to Wesker who was slowly curling the tentacle back into his body. A new, intense rush of hatred invaded his senses. Everything this man had put him through, put Chris through and put Sherry through flashed before his eyes in glorious Technicolor. White hot rage clouded his vision as he ran forwards, focussing on the knife stuck in the blonde man's shoulder. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he yanked the silver blade from the man's flesh and tried to dig it straight into his neck.

Despite the effect of Sherry's sedative kicking in, Wesker was still quick. Leon felt the blow to his ribs and tried to ignore the pain as he sunk his knife into the closest part of the monster's body he could get to. Wesker hissed in pain as the silver blade dug into his forearm. The black tentacle began to rise from his arm once more but this time, it appeared a lot slower. Leon seized his opportunity and slashed at it, causing a spray of blood to fly across his face before he was thrown to the ground.

"The virus…you killed it" Wesker's words meant nothing to him. All he could see was Sherry falling, over and over again, hearing the brutal sound of her neck snapping. With a cry of rage he stumbled to his feet and lashed out again, catching the bastard across the face.

If this was going to work he was going to need something bigger, something more immediate. He remembered the axe as Wesker's well aimed kick caused him to crash to the floor once more.

There was a flash of green and a cry of 'Bastard!' as Chris suddenly leapt onto his former captain's back. His own combat knife, something more akin to a machete was in his right hand and slashing out at the tentacle just as Leon had done. Wesker snarled and flipped the older man off. Leon heard Chris' body connect with the tiled floor and he was sure that he'd heard the crack of a broken rib. But Chris was back on his feet, rushing Wesker again and this time managing to land a savage right hook that sent the former S.T.A.R.S captain reeling.

Leon used this opportunity to get back to his feet as Chris went in for another attack. The savage ballet continued with Chris throwing punches and Wesker throwing him to the ground, his senses and reactions now obviously delayed.

Leon's hiking trainers squeaked on the tiles as he ran for the axe. He deliberately kept his gaze facing the opposite way to Sherry's corpse. He couldn't think about her now or he might break down. There would be days, weeks, months in which to mourn her and celebrate her last act of bravery but for now he had to focus on ridding the world of the beast that was Albert Wesker and ensure her death, like all the ones before her, were not in vain.

He reached the glass cabinet and, grabbing the barrel of his magnum, he used the heavy grip to smash the glass. He quickly looked over his shoulder to see Chris landing another blow to Wesker's jaw before Wesker brutally backhanded him to the ground. A siren started wailing loudly, a sudden and loud clanging followed by a torrent of water. He'd obviously activated the fire alarm and sprinkler system when he'd smashed the glass. Another look over his shoulder and it appeared that neither Chris or Wesker had noticed. They were now locked into a tussle with Chris trying to take Wesker down and Wesker trying to haul the man off him, his shoulder tentacle leaking blood and flailing wildly. Leon wrenched the axe from its hangings, careful to avoid the jagged glass that still littered the frame and ran back to the fighting men.

Chris looked at him in confusion for a moment but quickly recovered as Wesker's tentacle tried to wrap around his neck. Water continued to pour from the ceiling sprinklers and was beginning to pool on the tiled floor. Leon took a big swing with the axe and felt resistance as it collided with the back of Wesker's knee. Wesker howled with pain and crumpled to the floor, the tentacle whipping around in a frenzy. Blood spurted from the wound, mixing instantly with the pools of water collecting on the floor. Chris was on Wesker, trying to pin the struggling man to the floor by his shoulders. He nodded at Leon who took another swing, this time bringing the heavy blade down right across the writhing man's eyes. The dark glasses crunched and shattered. A viscous clear liquid burst forth from his eyeballs, mixing with the blood that was running in rivulets down his face. He screamed in pain, his writhing growing more desperate. His tentacle flung Chris to the floor as his hands covered his obliterated face.

"Did you get his brain"? Chris asked, slipping slightly in the water as he hauled himself back to his feet.

"Don't think so…" Leon said breathlessly, staring down at the bleeding man. It was like being back in Raccoon. Just like the zombies here was something that had once been human but was now a soulless monster leftover from Umbrella. Had Wesker not put them through so much pain, he might've actually felt sorry for him.

He saw Chris gesticulating to him to back away. He retrieved his knife and did so, carefully and quietly. Now that Wesker was blind, he wouldn't be able to dodge what he couldn't see. The water from the sprinklers continued to pound down on the tiles, further masking their already carefully footsteps.

Wesker rolled over onto his front, his back now an undulating mass. His leather clad skin appeared to be bubbling and transforming. A large, red eye was starting to emerge from his back. He was obviously trying to compensate for his lack of vision. Leon moved quickly, aiming and then throwing his knife. It landed squarely in the middle of the developing eye, effectively blinding it.

Chris didn't waste a second, moving forward as quietly as he could and leaping onto Wesker's back. He withdrew the knife from the eyeball with a sickeningly wet sucking noise and slid it across the wet floor to Leon who caught it easily. Chris pinned Wesker to the tiles using his entire body weight. Wesker screamed and struggled, his blood-stained hands clawing at the tiled floor, splitting and breaking his nails. Leon went in with the axe, aiming at Wesker's left leg. He cut it off through the shin causing the former S.T.A.R.S captain to let out another gut-wrenching scream of pain. He managed to flip Chris from his back but couldn't see where the older man landed. Chris used this to his advantage, punching Wesker hard on the back of the head before pressing it into the tiled floor. The tentacle went for his neck once more. Leon swung and cut into it, feeling that same steely resistance as he tried to chop all the way through it. He pulled the axe back out, sending another spray of blood across the tiles. The tentacle whipped him across the face, causing him to reel back as he felt it cut into his cheek.

In what was no doubt retaliation for that, Chris ground Wesker's face into the tiles. Even though the water's cacophony continued relentlessly, Leon could hear Wesker's nose break. Ignoring the blood that was now running down his face, he wielded his weapon and brought it down on Wesker's right leg, chopping it neatly in the middle of the thigh.

"Quicker"! Chris ordered, struggling to hold Wesker down. It seemed the more of him they cut away, the stronger his desperate struggling became. Chris was bleeding and exhausted and, Leon feared, had broken ribs. He wouldn't be able to hold him down for much longer.

Even though his back and shoulder muscles screamed at him to stop, Leon continued to raise the axe, chopping at and removing Wesker's arms. Over and over again he swung the heavy weapon, occasionally missing due to Wesker's movements. As soon as the arms were dispatched, Leon started on his torso, hacking away as if he were trying to fell an old oak tree.

"Leon! His legs"! Chris called out over the din of the water. Leon quick-turned to look at the stumps that used to be Wesker's legs but slipped on the wet floor, crashing onto the tiles and landing heavily on his side. Even on the floor he could see that the stumps were growing worm-like thin tentacles and boned appendages.

"Shit" Leon cursed as he forced his body back to his feet. His arms felt like jelly as he raised the axe once again, aiming for these new additions. "You doing ok"? He called to Chris. The water had soaked his clothes completely, making them heavy and making it all the more harder to move. His hair flopped in his eyes and he had to keep shaking his head so that he could see.

"Yeah, yeah" Came Chris' frantic reply. "Keep going Leon, you're doing great"

Chris' words spurred him on. He kept chopping, thinking of Chris, thinking of Sherry, thinking of Jill and the poor villagers who'd suffered by Wesker's hand. He was doing this for them and he was doing this for himself too. Wesker had shot him, had tortured him, had implanted him with some fucked up virus, all for his own amusement. He'd ordered the sick bastard to go to his hospital room and photograph him when he was at his most vulnerable. He'd ordered those photos to be used in that corridor, that sick, twisted corridor that had upset Chris so much.

Chris. His lover. The man who'd been hounded by Wesker for years. Chop. Chop. Chop. Keep going. Keep swinging. Wesker had sent his team mates to die, kidnapped his sister, beat him to near death. He'd made him live through the recreation of his worst nightmare and Chris was bleeding right now because of him. Chop. Swing. Chop. Swing. His muscles were killing him. They were screaming and pleading. No. Don't give up now. Sherry. Oh god, Sherry. She was young, barely an adult and now she was dead. Had it hurt? She'd certainly been scared. They always said that when fell from a great height you were dead before you hit the ground. No. Can't think about that. Chop. Swing. Wipe the blood from your face. The water from your eyes. Swing. Chop. Shit. Can't lift the axe. Drop it to the floor. The knife. Stab. Stab. Harder. See Chris in that hallway, tearing down those photos. Stab. Slash. Stab. Feel yourself hit the floor, the bullet burning your stomach. Stab. Stab. Wipe the blood away.

"Leon"!

No. Can't stop now. Stab. He's got to die.

"Leon! Stop"!

The worry and desperation in Chris' voice brought Leon back to reality. In his hand, the blade of his knife was stained crimson, blood was splattered across his hand, halfway up his forearm. He looked down and saw the thing that used to be Albert Wesker, now nothing more than a bloodied head with a mangled stump for a torso. Chris is standing a short distance away watching him carefully.

"He's dead" Chris said gently. Leon nodded. It was worrying. He'd never lost control like that before. He continued to stare at Wesker's lifeless corpse. He heard footsteps in the water and Chris was suddenly by his side. The older man wiped the hair from his face and stroked his cheek, carefully to avoid the gash that was still bleeding. He whispered something that Leon didn't quite hear but thought was 'it's over now'.

Leon watched as Chris picked up the bloodied axe. He raised it high above his head, his face contorting in pain, confirming Leon's theory about the broken ribs, before bringing it down on Wesker's head, splitting it in two. The force of the swing sent the blood flying, hitting both of them, adding to the already numerous stains on their clothes and skin.

For the first time the water coming down from the ceiling felt like heavy rain. The sort of rain that cleared your head. Leon lifted his face to the water and felt it hit his skin, stinging his cut slightly but feeling refreshing at the same time. He felt as if he was waking up from some terrible nightmare.

When he looked down again, he saw Chris moving around the body, kicking all of the separate parts around the room with as much strength as he was able to muster. Leon guessed that he must've looked confused at this as Chris explained.

"I'm not having him join back together. Haven't you ever seen Terminator 2"?

Leon let out a laugh which quickly faded when he realised how inappropriate the noise sounded in the hollow emptiness of the hangar. The sprinklers suddenly stopped, almost as if they too realised the funereal atmosphere that had suddenly descended over the hangar and its occupants.

Leon was about to inspect Sherry's body when a loud metallic creaking noise came from overhead. He looked up to see the ceiling yawning open to reveal a bright flood of natural light. All around them, ropes dropped down and splashed the reddened water on the floor. A dozen men dressed in black tactical gear and armed with assault rifles descended into the hangar, shouting the word 'CLEAR!' to each other. Leon looked over at Chris who smiled back at him humourlessly. He knew what the older man was thinking. They were far too exhausted and too beaten to endure another fight.

"Chris! Leon"! A familiar voice joined the general chatter of the landing men. Leon instantly felt his worry ease slightly. He knew that voice! And sure enough, one of the 'men' had taken off their helmets and revealed herself to be Jill. "I brought some back-up" She said as she surveyed the mess of blood and gore that surrounded them.

"Better late than never I suppose" Chris replied tiredly. He gave her and exhausted smile and she game him a quick hug before turning to the assembled men and ordering them to start setting charges at various points around the room.

Two of the men were directing a pallet that was being lowered into the hangar. As it landed, Leon could see that it was filled with cases containing the charges and a black bag from which one of them men pulled out two thick, grey woollen blankets. Jill handed them to Leon and Chris. Leon wrapped the blanket around himself, suddenly realising just how cold he was. Chris wound his own blanket around himself and then held the edges of it open. Leon moved into Chris' open arms and the older man wrapped his blanket around them both. Careful to avoid Chris' broken ribs, Leon huddled up to him feeling a brief respite of relief that Chris had survived.

"Get on the pallet guys and they'll get you into one of the helicopters" Jill ordered. "You need to get checked out by the medic. We'll finish up here. I'll be making sure we destroy this entire facility"

"Sounds good to me" Chris replied, giving Leon a gentle kiss on the top of the head.

"Sherry"! Leon said suddenly, breaking away from Chris' embrace. "I…I don't want her leaving here. She needs to be taken back to America…given a proper burial"

"Don't worry about that" Jill placed a reassuring hand on Leon's shoulder. "We'll airlift her body out"

Leon nodded. He knew that it would in no way ease the pain of her brutal death but the least he could do was make sure she was given a funeral and laid to rest somewhere picturesque. He felt another hand on his shoulder, a stronger one, one that belonged to Chris. Wordlessly, the older man led him to the pallet and sat him down. Chris sat down beside him and Leon, still wary of Chris' injuries, wrapped an arm around his exhausted lover, holding on as tightly as he dared as the pallet rose upwards.

It was a good forty minutes later before Jill and the rest of the BSAA troops joined them back in the helicopter. Chris knew because he'd counted every damn minute. He and Leon had been checked over by the on board medic and 'patched up' in the young medic's own words. Leon's open wounds were cleaned and a large gauze pad was taped to his face, covered the gash made by Wesker's tentacle. Chris' cuts had been cleaned too and his ribs had been strapped up. They'd both been helped out of their wet, filthy clothes and had been equipped with a rather uncomfortable grey jumpsuit which, they were told, would do until they got back to the BSAA headquarters in America. Leon, of course, was going to have to answer to his superiors in the Secret Service and judging by the expression on the younger man's face, the last thing he wanted to do was explain and relive everything they'd been through since first arriving in Africa.

Chris couldn't blame him. Wrapped once more in the itchy grey blanket, he leant against the younger man if only to reassure himself that Leon was still alive and well. It was a bitter sweet moment to be leaving. Wesker was dead and gone and everything that his life had been working towards for the past few years was done with. He was effectively free to start a new life without being haunted by the threat of his former captain. But at the same time Chris knew that he and Leon both had wounds that weren't so easy to patch up. Sherry's death was obviously one of those wounds. He barely knew the girl but it was still a tragic way for anyone to lose their life, especially someone so young. He looked up at Leon who was staring blankly out of the window of the helicopter. Chris wanted to do something, say anything to ease his lover's pain but he knew that there was nothing he could. Leon would heal in time, they both would, but Sherry's death would be constant in Leon's memory.

"Chris"? Jill sat down next to him. Since the troops had piled back into the helicopter, the space had decreased a lot, so much so they everyone was sitting pretty much shoulder to shoulder. Jill handed something to him, something small. He looked down at his hand. It was a radio controlled detonator. "You deserve to finish this" She said.

Chris didn't hesitate. He pushed the button on the detonator and heard the explosion that followed. He carefully leant over Leon to see the low buildings of the facility engulfed in a massive orange fireball. Blackened debris blossomed in the sky before raining down over the acres of clean white snow. He dropped the detonator and, rather awkwardly because of the limited space, put his arm around Leon. He didn't need to say anything and neither did Leon. Both knew what the other was thinking. The time for talking about the horrors of their ordeal would come within time but for now the best thing they could do was hold on to each other and be grateful that they'd gotten out of it alive. 

_One year later…_

The tiny fairy lights wrapped around the wooden railing of the veranda glowed in the moonlight. It was a beautiful evening, calm and peaceful. It was just the right sort of warm and the air was still and quiet. Beyond the veranda was the sandy beach, silent and devoid of its usual cluster of tourists. The midnight blue water was gently ebbing and flowing with an almost perfect rhythm and the sky above was clear and dotted with bright, glowing stars. Leon leant back in the comfortable, cushioned deck chair and smiled. He swirled the brandy around in his glass and took another bite from the Tapas platter in front of him. This truly was the life.

"BURP"!

"Leave it to you to completely slaughter the romance" Leon moaned as Chris threw himself into the opposite deck chair with a satisfied grin. He reached forward and grabbed a handful of Parma ham, cramming it into his mouth and taking a big swill of his beer to wash it down.

"Can't help it" He said with his mouth full. "It's that chorito thingy. Always does it to me"

"The word you're looking for is chorizo" Leon said with a roll of his eyes. Although in the last couple of years his life had changed considerably, one thing remained constant. Chris Redfield was, and always would be, a pig.

"It was nice of Dennis to lend us this place." Chris continued, grabbing some olives and cheese. "Might've gotten us some decent snacks though." He added after a moment's thought.

"I'm surprised he let you" Leon took another sip of his brandy. Dennis had left a bottle of it in the kitchen of his beautiful holiday home and if there was one thing Dennis knew about, it was good brandy.

"He was all about it when I told him why" Chris replied with a smug grin. "Like I said, we both deserve a holiday"

Leon couldn't argue with that. They'd taken a short break after the events of Antarctica but it had been far from restful. He'd given a long and detailed report of everything that had happened and his superiors had insisted that he find himself a therapist before he returned to active duty. It was hard to relax and appreciate the rest when you were forced to pour your innermost out to a stranger twice a week. Chris had been the same, providing reports for the BSAA and organising the clean-up mission to get rid of the twisted mess that used to be the Antarctic facility. Barry Burton had expressed some concerns about Chris needing to see someone but Chris had been resolute that he could deal with it himself. Then, of course, there'd been Sherry's funeral to organise. Chris had been amazing, listening to every one of Leon's wishes and trying his best to help him get it all sorted out.

After a long discussion, Leon had chosen to bury her in Washington, the city where they'd spent those precious few months together. He'd found a quiet cemetery and had her buried in a corner plot close to a large weeping willow tree. He'd used some of his savings to buy her a simple yet elegant headstone made from white marble and he'd made sure to visit regularly, to tidy up any overgrown grass and weeds and to leave her a bunch of her favourite flowers. At his insistence she'd been buried with her gold locket and her copy of the photo of the two of them outside the mini golf centre. Chris always visited the grave with him, helping him to keep it tidy and holding his hand as he swallowed the lump that always seemed to gather in his throat.

Leon shook his head and came out of his reverie. This was their first proper holiday with no therapists, superiors to report to or anything work related. He was damn well going to enjoy it. He looked over at his partner to suggest they go for a midnight swim but found the words wouldn't come out. Chris had moved aside his deck chair and was now down on one knee. In his hands was a tiny red velvet box, open to reveal a simple silver band. The smug, oafish expression on the older man's face was gone and had been replaced with one of seriousness. Leon heard himself gasp as Chris spoke.

"Leon Scott Kennedy, will you marry me"?

THE END.


End file.
